Abstract
Mozambique is characterized by low agricultural productivity, which is associated with low use of yield-enhancing agricultural inputs. Fertilizer application rate averaged 5.7 kg ha−1 in Mozambique during the period 2006 to 2015, considerably low by regional targets, yet constraints that affect fertilizer use have not been thoroughly investigated. This study examined the constraints on fertilizer value chains in Mozambique to contribute to fertilizer supply chain strengthening. We used a combination of multivariate analysis and descriptive methods. Our findings indicate that fertilizer use has both demand and supply constraints. Key demand-side constraints include liquidity challenges, limited awareness about the benefits of using fertilizer, and low market participation, while the main supply-side constraints include high transaction costs, limited access to finance, and lack of soil testing results and corresponding fertilizer recommendations by soil type and crop uptake. These results suggest that scaling up the input subsidy program through vouchers (either paper-based vouchers or e-vouchers) with demonstration plots and effective targeting could drive up smallholders’ demand for fertilizer and fertilizer supply by strengthening a sustainable network of wholesalers and retailers. This would likely boost agricultural productivity.
Highlights
Data from the World Development Indicator (WDI) show that cereal yield averaged about 0.8 metric tons (MT) per hectare in Mozambique during the period 1996 to 2016, compared with average yields of 1.4 MT ha−1 in Tanzania, 1.6 MT ha−1 in Malawi, and 2.0 MT ha−1 in Zambia
Fertilizer application rates are low in Mozambique, and averaged 5.7 kg ha−1 of arable cropland in Mozambique during the period 2006 to 2015, compared with 6.1 kg ha−1 in Tanzania, 31.7 kg ha−1 in Malawi, and 38.7 kg ha−1 in Zambia
The average fertilizer application rate in Mozambique falls short of Southern African Development Community (SADC) Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) target of 65 kg ha−1, the target of 50 kg ha−1 by 2025 set during the 2006 Abuja
Summary
Data from the World Development Indicator (WDI) show that cereal yield averaged about 0.8 metric tons (MT) per hectare (ha) in Mozambique during the period 1996 to 2016, compared with average yields of 1.4 MT ha−1 in Tanzania, 1.6 MT ha−1 in Malawi, and 2.0 MT ha−1 in Zambia. WDI data show that cereal production in Mozambique jumped from 1,378,451 MT in 1996 to 2,931,941 MT in 2011, and it registered a downward trend, dropping to 1,712,121 MT in 2016. This increase in cereal production in Mozambique could be associated with expansion in cultivated area under cereals, because cereal yield is stagnant. According to data from WDI, average cereal yield in the late 1990s is comparable with that in the late 2000s (0.9 MT ha−1 during the period 1996 to 2000 versus 0.8 MT ha−1 during the period 2012 to 2016)
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