Zimbabwe, Maize, 2020

Zimbabwe's estimated postharvest losses for maize in 2020 was 181,973 tonnes or 16.5% which had an estimated value of more than 46 million US dollar.

As for nutrition 631 billion kcal were lost, which is the equivalent of more than 750 thousand people, in terms of annual nutritional dietary energy requirements. In the value chain, the majority of the loss is estimated to be happening at Harvesting/field drying, Household-level storage, and then Further drying. Highest estimated postharvest maize losses in tonnes were estimated to occur in Mashonaland West.

To view the list of studies used to estimate these losses, please see the References tab.

Production quantity and estimated postharvest losses

Production quantity (tonnes)
Estimated postharvest losses (tonnes)

2011–2021
2011	1648859
2012	1165271
2013	969992
2014	1634738
2015	939456
2016	709046
2017	2352756
2018	1897932
2019	973865
2020	1104859

Produced	1,104,859 tonnes
Estimated postharvest losses	16.5% / 181,973 tonnes / > 46 million USD

Production quantity	Estimated postharvest losses
83.5298 Production quantity: 1,104,859 tonnes	16.5 Estimated PHL: 181,973 tonnes

See full postharvest losses data table with estimated losses in percentage › | tonnes › | USD ›

Value chain

Production quantity and estimated postharvest losses in % per value chain step. Please note that once loss has occurred at harvesting, the percentage loss in the next stage is a percentage of what remained, not of the original amount.

Estimated % of crop left
Estimated % of crop lost

	Amount remaining(%)	Estimated postharvest loss(%)
Production	100 Remaining: 100% Est. PHL: 0%	0 Remaining: 100% Est. PHL: 0%
Harvesting/field drying	94.05163 Remaining: 94.05163% Est. PHL: 5.94837%	5.94837 Remaining: 94.05163% Est. PHL: 5.94837%
Further drying	90.14295 Remaining: 90.14295% Est. PHL: 3.90868%	3.90868 Remaining: 90.14295% Est. PHL: 3.90868%
Threshing and Shelling	88.65238 Remaining: 88.65238% Est. PHL: 1.49057%	1.49057 Remaining: 88.65238% Est. PHL: 1.49057%
Transport from field	86.32974 Remaining: 86.32974% Est. PHL: 2.32264%	2.32264 Remaining: 86.32974% Est. PHL: 2.32264%
Household-level storage	82.40302 Remaining: 82.40302% Est. PHL: 3.92672%	3.92672 Remaining: 82.40302% Est. PHL: 3.92672%
Transport to market	80.9767 Remaining: 80.9767% Est. PHL: 1.42632%	1.42632 Remaining: 80.9767% Est. PHL: 1.42632%
Market storage	78.3267 Remaining: 78.3267% Est. PHL: 2.65%	2.65 Remaining: 78.3267% Est. PHL: 2.65%

See full value chain data table with estimated losses in percentage › | tonnes › | USD ›

Nutrition

Number of people whose annual dietary requirements (in terms of energy, kcal) could have been met by consuming the maize that was lost postharvest, and what % of the focal group of the population this number equates to.

Total number

750,443

people, 4.4%

Children 1-3

1,754,552

children, 114.5%

Pregnant women 19-30

635,091

women, 803.4%

Men 31-50

562,232

men, 33.6%

See full nutritional impact data for Children 1–3 › | Pregnant women 19–30 › | Men 31–50 ›