Chipata district is expected to record a 70 per cent increase in maize production this year.
This has been confirmed to Breeze News by the acting DACO, District Agricultural Coordinator, Alfonso Kalahawe.
Mr. Kalahawe says that the expected output of maize for this year stands at over 4 million kilogrammes.
He says that this is despite some areas in the district experiencing poor rainfall patterns.
And Mr. Kalahawe observed that the bulk of maize has been produced by over 3 million small scale farmers.
He says that it is unfortunate that the district currently only has 26, 000 farmers operating on a large scale basis.
And Mr. Kalahawe says that despite the late distribution of farming inputs, various stakeholders were able to assist farmers with fertiliser.
He says that this has helped to shelter some farmers from experiencing a low output.