Agricultural production in Zambia
According to FAOSTAT, Zambia produced 1.8 million t of cereals, 433,325 t of vegetables, 127,566 t of fruit, 369,605 t of meat and 525,394 t of milk in 2024. Its largest crops by volume were sugar cane (4.9 million t), cassava (3.1 million t) and maize (1.5 million t).
- Products recorded
- 66
- World #1
- 0
- products
- World top 10
- 1
- products
- Year
- 2024
Among its twelve largest crops, the biggest ten-year change was in cassava (+240%), followed by cotton seed (−63%).
Livestock numbers: 4.9 million cattle, 1.5 million pigs, 330,243 sheep and 6.0 million goats.
Totals by group
| Group | Tonnes | World rank | Share | 10-year change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All sugar crops | 4,893,717 | 40 | 0.22% | +6.4% |
| All roots and tubers | 3,245,473 | 45 | 0.34% | +194% |
| All cereals | 1,761,004 | 94 | 0.06% | −52% |
| All milk | 525,394 | 93 | 0.05% | +26% |
| All vegetables | 433,325 | 106 | 0.04% | +3.3% |
| All meat | 369,605 | 85 | 0.1% | +10% |
| All fruit | 127,566 | 130 | 0.01% | +11% |
| All pulses | 73,399 | 82 | 0.08% | −30% |
| All eggs | 66,299 | 73 | 0.07% | +6.9% |
| All citrus fruit | 4,152 | 107 | 0% | −2.1% |
All products by volume, 2024
| Product | Tonnes | World rank | Share | 10-year change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sugar cane | 4,893,717 | 31 | 0.25% | +6.4% |
| Cassava | 3,127,778 | 19 | 0.91% | +240% |
| Maize | 1,511,143 | 53 | 0.12% | −55% |
| Cow milk | 525,394 | 89 | 0.07% | +26% |
| Raw sugar | 467,491 | 40 | 0.25% | +4.3% |
| Other vegetables, fresh n.e.c. | 366,120 | 46 | 0.13% | +3.5% |
| Beef (cattle meat) | 221,927 | 49 | 0.32% | +6.7% |
| Beer | 215,300 | 75 | 0.12% | +55% |
| Wheat | 198,886 | 73 | 0.02% | −1.3% |
| Soybeans | 169,700 | 34 | 0.04% | −21% |
| Molasses | 150,233 | 39 | 0.2% | +17% |
| Groundnuts (peanuts) | 87,655 | 35 | 0.15% | −39% |
| Other tropical fruits, n.e.c. | 85,031 | 22 | 0.36% | +3.0% |
| Sweet potatoes | 83,542 | 48 | 0.09% | −44% |
| Soya bean oil | 81,500 | 37 | 0.14% | +436% |
| Hen eggs | 66,299 | 73 | 0.07% | +6.9% |
| Chicken meat | 51,237 | 105 | 0.04% | +11% |
| Sunflower seed | 44,128 | 35 | 0.08% | +29% |
| Game meat, fresh, chilled or frozen | 42,535 | 13 | 2.07% | +9.6% |
| Onions, dry | 41,224 | 89 | 0.04% | +3.7% |
| Beans, dry | 38,937 | 53 | 0.13% | −36% |
| Skim milk of cows | 38,868 | 94 | 0.03% | +22% |
| Edible offal of cattle, fresh, chilled or frozen | 35,952 | 42 | 0.37% | +6.7% |
| Pork (pig meat) | 35,946 | 74 | 0.03% | +10% |
| Potatoes | 34,153 | 118 | 0.01% | +0.9% |
| Cotton seed | 34,000 | 35 | 0.08% | −63% |
| Other pulses n.e.c. | 31,225 | 30 | 0.7% | −1.6% |
| Raw hides and skins of cattle | 30,182 | 40 | 0.34% | +6.7% |
| Sunflower-seed oil, crude | 28,600 | 37 | 0.13% | +237% |
| Other fruits, n.e.c. | 27,010 | 72 | 0.07% | +4.1% |
| Tomatoes | 25,982 | 109 | 0.01% | 0.0% |
| Rice (paddy) | 24,566 | 90 | 0% | −51% |
| Tobacco, unmanufactured | 20,768 | 27 | 0.34% | −42% |
| Cotton lint | 18,400 | 38 | 0.07% | −59% |
| Goat meat | 17,032 | 44 | 0.22% | +79% |
| Millet | 15,390 | 41 | 0.05% | −50% |
| Pineapples | 10,688 | 51 | 0.04% | +415% |
| Seed cotton | 9,072 | 50 | 0.01% | −93% |
| Coffee, green | 8,796 | 36 | 0.08% | +16% |
| Barley | 8,154 | 86 | 0.01% | −3.2% |
| Cattle fat, unrendered | 6,658 | 41 | 0.2% | +6.7% |
| Cheese from whole cow milk | 6,062 | 72 | 0.03% | +23% |
| Groundnut oil | 5,162 | 45 | 0.08% | +18% |
| Oranges | 4,152 | 90 | 0.01% | −2.1% |
| Edible offal of goat, fresh, chilled or frozen | 3,275 | 40 | 0.22% | +79% |
| Cottonseed oil | 3,200 | 42 | 0.08% | −55% |
| Raw hides and skins of goats or kids | 3,144 | 38 | 0.21% | +79% |
| Sorghum | 2,865 | 83 | 0% | −75% |
| Fat of pigs | 2,708 | 50 | 0.02% | +10% |
| Other stimulant, spice and aromatic crops, n.e.c. | 2,559 | 30 | 0.08% | −11% |
| Bambara beans, dry | 2,154 | 9 | 0.91% | −70% |
| Edible offal of pigs, fresh, chilled or frozen | 1,822 | 58 | 0.02% | +10% |
| Butter of cow milk | 1,718 | 85 | 0.03% | +22% |
| Cow peas, dry | 1,083 | 31 | 0.01% | −80% |
| Tea leaves | 971 | 39 | 0% | +6.6% |
| Sheep meat | 928 | 120 | 0.01% | +3.9% |
| Honey | 881 | 85 | 0.04% | +10% |
| Bananas | 684 | 108 | 0% | −0.1% |
| Goat fat, unrendered | 557 | 39 | 0.18% | +79% |
| Chillies and peppers, dry | 433 | 52 | 0.01% | +733% |
| Buttermilk, dry | 356 | 76 | 0.05% | — |
| Edible offal of sheep, fresh, chilled or frozen | 188 | 98 | 0.01% | +4.4% |
| Raw hides and skins of sheep or lambs | 160 | 105 | 0.01% | +3.9% |
| Pepper (black, white) | 63 | 43 | 0.01% | −22% |
| Sheep fat, unrendered | 46 | 97 | 0.01% | +2.2% |
| Beeswax | 37 | 42 | 0.06% | 0.0% |
Live animals, 2024
Zambia among the world’s producers, 2024
Share of world production by country for the largest crops of Zambia, which is outlined on the map.
Small island states are not drawn at this scale.
Production per person, 2024
Zambia had 21.3 million inhabitants in 2024 (FAOSTAT estimate). Production of its largest products per inhabitant, compared with the world average:
| Product | kg per person | World, kg per person | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sugar cane | 230 | 238 | 1.0× |
| Cassava | 147 | 41.9 | 3.5× |
| Maize | 70.9 | 149 | 0.5× |
| Cow milk | 24.6 | 97.7 | 0.3× |
| Raw sugar | 21.9 | 23.0 | 1.0× |
| Other vegetables, fresh n.e.c. | 17.2 | 34.5 | 0.5× |
| Beef (cattle meat) | 10.4 | 8.55 | 1.2× |
| Beer | 10.1 | 22.7 | 0.4× |
| Wheat | 9.33 | 97.8 | 0.1× |
| Soybeans | 7.96 | 48.7 | 0.2× |
| Molasses | 7.05 | 8.98 | 0.8× |
| Groundnuts (peanuts) | 4.11 | 7.05 | 0.6× |
Production divided by population; it is not consumption, because crops are traded and used for feed, processing and industry.
Trade in agricultural products, 2024
Zambia reported exports of 76 and imports of 130 of the products covered here; it was the world’s largest exporter of buttermilk, dry.
Largest exports by value
| Product | Tonnes | Value | USD/kg | World rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unmanufactured tobacco | 38,376 | USD 186 m | 4.86 | 13 of 101 |
| Raw cane or beet sugar (centrifugal only) | 87,649 | USD 71.0 m | 0.81 | 20 of 111 |
| Maize (corn) | 33,193 | USD 45.3 m | 1.36 | 45 of 137 |
| Buttermilk, dry | 46,732 | USD 38.7 m | 0.83 | 1 of 10 |
| Soya bean oil | 18,216 | USD 29.9 m | 1.64 | 37 of 110 |
| Sunflower-seed oil, crude | 10,727 | USD 15.8 m | 1.48 | 36 of 113 |
| Coffee, green | 7,734 | USD 15.5 m | 2.01 | 31 of 131 |
| Hen eggs in shell, fresh | 2,469 | USD 14.9 m | 6.04 | 47 of 107 |
| Cotton lint, ginned | 8,830 | USD 14.6 m | 1.65 | 31 of 105 |
| Chillies and peppers, dry (Capsicum spp., Pimenta spp.), raw | 7,513 | USD 14.2 m | 1.89 | 11 of 127 |
Largest imports by value
| Product | Tonnes | Value | USD/kg | World rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soya bean oil | 98,721 | USD 126 m | 1.28 | 28 of 184 |
| Wheat | 172,118 | USD 97.1 m | 0.56 | 95 of 176 |
| Palm oil | 38,682 | USD 47.7 m | 1.23 | 80 of 191 |
| Maize (corn) | 148,026 | USD 44.6 m | 0.30 | 78 of 190 |
| Beer of barley, malted | 72,892 | USD 42.7 m | 0.59 | 37 of 192 |
| Whole milk powder | 4,317 | USD 15.6 m | 3.60 | 60 of 190 |
| Meat of chickens, fresh or chilled | 13,664 | USD 14.0 m | 1.03 | 100 of 189 |
| Margarine and shortening | 4,409 | USD 8.8 m | 2.00 | 58 of 189 |
| Skim milk and whey powder | 1,398 | USD 6.9 m | 4.94 | 100 of 192 |
| Wine | 3,650 | USD 6.2 m | 1.70 | 102 of 192 |
FAOSTAT detailed trade data, release of 23 July 2026: quantities in tonnes and values in current US dollars as reported; exports include re-exports. Only the FAO trade items that match Husfarm production pages are included: meat covers fresh or chilled meat only (frozen meat is a separate item), and processed goods such as milled rice or flour are not listed.
Questions and answers
What are the main crops produced in Zambia?
By volume, the largest products of Zambia in 2024 were sugar cane (4.9 million t), cassava (3.1 million t), maize (1.5 million t), according to FAOSTAT.
Is Zambia the world’s largest producer of anything?
Not in 2024. Its highest world rank was 9th, for bambara beans, dry.
How much sugar cane does Zambia produce per person?
About 230 kg per inhabitant in 2024, compared with a world average of 238 kg (production divided by population, FAOSTAT).
What does Zambia export most?
By value, its largest agricultural exports in 2024 among the products covered here were unmanufactured tobacco (USD 186 m), raw cane or beet sugar (centrifugal only) (USD 71.0 m), maize (corn) (USD 45.3 m), according to FAOSTAT.
What does Zambia import most?
By value, its largest agricultural imports in 2024 among the products covered here were soya bean oil (USD 126 m), wheat (USD 97.1 m), palm oil (USD 47.7 m).
Where does this data come from?
Production, trade and population figures are from FAOSTAT, the statistics database of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Rankings, shares and per-person figures are calculated by Husfarm.
Source: FAO. 2025. FAOSTAT: Crops and livestock products. Accessed on 4 November 2026. fao.org/faostat. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Charts, rankings and changes calculated by Husfarm.