Eastern Province records a 25 per cent reduction in maize production in the 2014/2015 farming season.

Eastern Province has recorded a reduction of about 185,000 metric tonnes of maize production in the 2014/2015 farming season.
This is despite the province recording the highest maize production at country level.
Provincial Agriculture Coordinator, Obvious Kabinda confirmed this to Breeze News.
Dr. Kabinda explained that the Province has recorded 551, 799 metric tonnes of maize in the 2014/2015 farming season compared to 736,936 metric tonnes recorded in the 2013/2014 farming season.
Dr. Kabinda added that the province has also seen a reduction in the production of beans, groundnuts, soya beans and tobacco.
He says that the province has produced 5,720 Kilogrammes of tobacco this year, from last year’s 8,972 while beans production has reduced from 2,779 to 1,872 kgs this year.
The PACO also explained that groundnuts production has reduced from last year’s 37, 833 to 23, 792 Kgs this year while soya beans production is at 15,963 this year from 17,246 recorded last year.
Dr. Kabinda however, said that cotton production has increased to 70,941 kilogrammes this year from last year’s 69,981 Kgs.
Dr. Kabinda has attributed the reduction in the production of major crops to crop diversification and the dry spell that was experienced in the province early this year.