Zambia eyes Southeast Asia
Zambia plans to expand rice production with an export focus on high‑demand Southeast Asian markets, according to government statements highlighted on social channels. The move signals new origin competition aiming at regional demand pools. (ZNBC via X)
Zambia is trying to turn rice from an import gap into an export business, with officials now pointing to Southeast Asia as a target market. (x.com) That push starts from a low base. Japan International Cooperation Agency said on March 17, 2026 that Zambia produced 39,457 metric tons of paddy rice against national demand of 95,243 metric tons in the 2025 food balance sheet, leaving an import need of 55,138 metric tons. (jica.go.jp) Trade data shows the same imbalance. Zambia imported $15.5 million of rice in 2024 and exported $1.35 million, with the Democratic Republic of the Congo taking $1.28 million of those exports and Thailand supplying $5.4 million of imports. (oec.world) The government has been building toward this for several years. Zambia’s Third National Rice Development Strategy for 2022 to 2026 lists higher production, processing and market access as core goals and calls rice a priority crop for diversification. (riceforafrica.net) The export angle also collides with Zambia’s current buying patterns. World Bank trade data shows Zambia bought rice in 2024 from Thailand, India, Pakistan, Tanzania and South Africa, meaning the country still relies on Asian and regional suppliers even as it talks about selling abroad. (wits.worldbank.org) Outside support is already tied to that scale-up. Japan International Cooperation Agency said its Market-Oriented Rice Development Project has worked in Western, Lusaka and Luapula provinces and reached 12,215 rice farmers, including 6,366 women, with support on seed production, cultivation, mechanization and post-harvest handling. (jica.go.jp) The World Food Programme and Japan International Cooperation Agency also signed a January 9, 2025 agreement aimed at 40,000 rice-producing smallholder farmers, with a focus on productivity, finance and market access. (lusakatimes.com) For now, Zambia’s rice trade is still mostly regional, not Asian. The Observatory of Economic Complexity lists Zimbabwe, Malawi, South Africa and Australia behind the Democratic Republic of the Congo among Zambia’s 2024 export destinations, so any move into Southeast Asia would mark a new market shift rather than an extension of existing trade flows. (oec.world) What happens next depends on whether Zambia can close its domestic supply gap while raising quality, milling and logistics to export standard. The country’s own strategy says irrigation, seed access, research, processing and market systems remain the main constraints. (riceforafrica.net)
