MAIZE 

Senegal’s maize (corn) sector suffered a setback in the 2024/25 season. Cultivation area dropped 4.3 % to around 164,906 hectares, while output fell 12.7 % to 495,571 tonnes.At the same time, imports rose sharply — by 19 % in 2024 to 512,740 tonnes — highlighting the country’s increasing reliance on foreign maize to meet domestic demand.

The harvest of corn in Ukraine is significantly behind pace. As of late October, only around 7.713 million tons have been threshed from approximately 1.315 million hectares (about 31% of the area), compared with 15.4 million tons from 67% of the area at the same time last year.

The Government of Zambia has announced that it will complete all outstanding payments to farmers who supplied maize to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) by October 31, 2025.

A farm in rural Montgomery County, Ohio recently hosted a trade delegation from the Philippines as part of a broader initiative by the Ohio Corn & Wheat (OCW) and the U.S. Grains Council to expand U.S. agricultural export markets.

The global context: even with improved production locally, exports depend on external demand, competitive pricing and transport infrastructure.

Across Africa, maize — the continent’s most widely grown cereal crop — is at the center of a quiet revolution. The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) is driving this transformation through advanced research, innovation, and collaboration with local scientists and farmers.