Agricultural economist, Eugene Kaango has revealed that […]

Agricultural economist, Eugene Kaango has revealed that it costs an estimated K6.56 to produce one kilogram of maize during the 2025/2026 farming season.

Speaking in an interview with Zambian Business Times – ZBT, Kaango said a typical farmer cultivating one hectare requires fertilizer, hybrid seed, herbicides and labour, with the expected average yield standing at 40 x 50KG bags, equivalent to 2,000 kilograms under rain-fed conditions.

He said fertilizer alone accounts for the largest share of production costs, adding that farmers also incur significant expenses on seed, weed control and labour before harvesting a single bag of maize.

Meanwhile, the Zambian Business Times – ZBT, using expert knowledge provided by Kaango together with input prices published in the Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Agribusiness and Marketing April 2025 to January 2026 Market Information Bulletin, conducted an estimated cost analysis for one kilogram, 50 kilogram and hectare of maize production.

According to the Ministry bulletin, a 50KG bag of D-Compound fertilizer averaged K1,058.06, while a 50KG bag of Urea averaged K1,060.23 in December 2025, meaning four bags of each fertilizer required for one hectare cost K8,473.16 in total.

The same bulletin seen by ZBT further indicates that two 20 kilograms of middle-maturing hybrid maize seed cost K1,560.18.

Meanwhile, the estimated costs of 5 litres of glyphosate herbicide (K550), one kilogram of Actellic grain protectant (K47), labour (K1,980) and miscellaneous field expenses (K500) bring the total production cost to K13,110.34 per hectare.

Based on expert’s projected yield of 2,000 kilograms per hectare, the analysis shows that producing one kilogram of maize costs K6.56, translating to approximately K327.85 for every 50KG bag harvested.

This means that if the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) maintains a buying price of K340 (K6.8/Kg) per 50KG bag during the 2026/2027 marketing season, a farmer harvesting 40 bags would generate K13,600 in total revenue.

After deducting the estimated production cost of K13,110.34, the farmer would remain with a net profit of only K489.66 per hectare, representing a margin of just 3.7%, or approximately 24 ngwee per kilogram sold.

However, the analysis further shows that if a farmer hires a tractor for land preparation at around K2,500, or harvests only 35 bags because of poor rainfall or pests, the entire profit is wiped out and the enterprise falls into a loss.

Meanwhile, if productivity improves to 50 bags per hectare, revenue rises to K17,000, leaving an estimated profit of K3,889.66, demonstrating that higher yields significantly improve farmer returns even without changes in producer prices.

Similarly, if the FRA buying price increases to K400 (K8/Kg) per 50KG bag while maintaining a yield of 40 bags, estimated profit rises to K2,889.66, providing farmers with a more meaningful return on their investment.