Contingency measures: Zambia imports maize to avert shortages, price hikes.

Facing a wide maize-production gap, Zambia has lifting its ban on imports of the staple grain and allowed the importation of 200,000t to avert food shortages. "There is no food crisis," said Agriculture Minister Mundia Sikatana. "This is just a precautionary measure." However, the government has specifically excluded genetically modified maize. A state assistance programme to boost small-scale farmers was introduced in 2002 and was widely successful in increasing national output to 1.3m tons in 2004. Poor rains reduced the 2005 crop to some 860,000 tons. The measure is to ensure food security and to avoid maize price hikes, the Zambia National Farmers' Union says. First shipments are expected early in 2006.