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Insights Centre
Sectors · Agriculture across SADC

Agriculture in Zambia

How the season is going, what staples cost, where land and water are being invested in, and where processing is missing.

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Value added by agriculture, forestry and fishing, 2024US$717m3.0% of the economy · 10th largest of 16 in SADC
Real growth-4.2%a year over the last five years, at constant prices
Exports of the pillar's goods, 2024US$846m+68% on five years earlier · 7th in SADC
Deals in the last 12 months18 tracked in Zambia in all

Agriculture, forestry and fishing added US$717m to Zambia's economy in 2024

Value added by agriculture, forestry and fishing, the industries in the national accounts closest to agriculture, US$, at the prices of each year and at constant 2020 prices (which show real growth)

0$500m$1bn$2bn$2bn199019921994199619982000200220042006200820102012201420162018202020222024Prices of each yearUS$717mConstant 2020 pricesUS$372m
Source: UN Statistics Division·dotzedw Insights Centre

Zambia has SADC's 10th largest agriculture, forestry and fishing sector

Value added by agriculture, forestry and fishing, US$, latest year, with its share of each economy

AngolaUS$25.9bn22.6% of the economy
TanzaniaUS$21.4bn28.1% of the economy
South AfricaUS$11.3bn3.1% of the economy
DRCUS$7.7bn10.9% of the economy
MozambiqueUS$5.7bn28.6% of the economy
ZimbabweUS$4.0bn9.2% of the economy
MadagascarUS$3.9bn24.5% of the economy
MalawiUS$3.2bn28.3% of the economy
NamibiaUS$975m8.1% of the economy
ZambiaUS$717m3.0% of the economy
MauritiusUS$637m4.9% of the economy
ComorosUS$541m35.8% of the economy
EswatiniUS$356m7.7% of the economy
BotswanaUS$332m1.8% of the economy
LesothoUS$158m7.7% of the economy
SeychellesUS$53m2.9% of the economy
Source: UN Statistics Division·dotzedw Insights Centre

Agriculture, forestry and fishing, value added (US$): Zambia against SADC

Agriculture, forestry and fishing, value added (US$), US$, latest year for each country. Click a bar for that country's agriculture page.

$0$10bn$20bn$30bnAngola$30.8bnTanzania$20.7bnSouth Africa$12.1bnDRC$8.1bnMozambique$5.7bnZimbabwe$4.9bnMalawi$4.5bnMadagascar$4.3bnZambia$1.2bnNamibia$1.1bnMauritius$745.9mComoros$663.9mBotswana$355.0mEswatini$330.7mLesotho$166.9mSeychelles$62.2mmedian $2.7bn

Source: World Bank·dotzedw Insights Centre

Zambia's trade in agriculture goods since 2012

Exports and imports of the products in this pillar's subsectors, each product counted once, US$

0$500m$1bn$2bn$2bn2012201420162018202020222024ExportsUS$846mImportsUS$1.9bn
Source: CEPII BACI·dotzedw Insights Centre

Subsectors

10 in this pillar

Grains and staples in Zambia

Tracks
Maize, wheat, sorghum, rice and cassava; harvests, yields, crop estimates, stocks, prices, import needs and export bans.
Signals ahead
Rainfall in the growing months, planting intentions, export bans in neighbouring countries.

Select a figure for its trend. Source: CEPII BACI, dotzedw deals tracker.

Trade in detail

Zambia exported US$60m and imported US$197m of grains and staples in 2024; exports up 25% on five years earlier, 2.5% of what SADC sells abroad.

Zambia's main exports in this subsector, 2024

Maize (100510)US$53m
Maize and other flour (110220)US$1.8m
Wheat (100111)US$1.5m
Rice (100630)US$1.1m
Maize (100590)US$497k

Zambia's trade in grains and staples every year since 2012, by partner is part of the Individual plan

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Open these deals in the deals tracker

What Zambia sells abroad across agriculture

Zambia's exports by subsector, 2024, US$, with its share of SADC's exports. A product can count in two subsectors.

Cash cropsUS$468m7.2% of SADC · +58% on five years earlier
InputsUS$130m6.9% of SADC · +298% on five years earlier
Livestock, meat and dairyUS$86m6% of SADC · +207% on five years earlier
Grains and staplesUS$60m2.5% of SADC · +25% on five years earlier
Storage, processing and agro-industryUS$55m4.6% of SADC · +389% on five years earlier
Forestry and timberUS$30m1.2% of SADC · -44% on five years earlier
Horticulture and fruit exportsUS$14m0.2% of SADC · +3% on five years earlier
Fisheries and aquacultureUS$5.1m0.2% of SADC · -76% on five years earlier
IrrigationUS$174k0.3% of SADC · +52% on five years earlier
Source: CEPII BACI·dotzedw Insights Centre

Who is moving

Open in the deals tracker

1 deals in the last 12 months involving Zambia, placed in subsectors by what they say.

Sources and method