Chókwe, Mozambique, April 21, 2026 (Lusa) – Authorities in Chókwe district, Gaza province, require an additional 23,000 tonnes of seeds for the current agricultural season as recent floods have devastated 45,000 hectares of crops, officials announced on Tuesday.
"We have 85 tonnes of maize, which is the seed we are currently distributing, alongside other seed quantities received to benefit 1,200 producers, but we currently face a deficit of 23,000 tonnes of seeds," said Chókwe district administrator Narciso Nhamuoco, quoted on Tuesday by the media.
He spoke during a visit by the governor of Gaza, the hardest hit by the floods. He said that two waves of intense rainfall in Mozambique completely devastated approximately 45,000 hectares of land.
A total of 43,000 farmers need seeds to salvage the agricultural season after losing their crops to floods during the current rainy season, which is expected to end in April.
"We had launched part of the seed we received to take advantage of the soil moisture, but the second wave of floods unfortunately inundated the fields again," he said.
The death toll for the current rainy season in Mozambique has reached 311, with 1.07 million people affected since October. According to the latest update from the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD), the weather destroyed 11,996 houses, partially damaged 24,229, and flooded 209,219. A total of 304 health units were affected in less than six months.
January's floods caused at least 43 deaths, 147 injuries, and left nine people missing, affecting 715,803 people globally. Some southern areas have recorded a new wave of flooding in recent days.
INGD data further indicates that 320,426 hectares of agricultural land were lost, impacting 373,241 farmers, while 531,657 animals, including cattle, goats, and poultry, died.
Mozambique is considered one of the world's most severely affected countries by climate change. It is repeatedly hit by floods and tropical cyclones during the rainy season, which runs from October to April.
VIYS/RYOL // ADB.
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