Maputo, June 10, 2026 (Lusa) - Beef production in Mozambique fell by 22% in the first quarter compared with the same period in 2025, to 3,611 tonnes, due to the impact of the floods that hit the country in January and February, according to official data.

According to data from a government performance report, to which Lusa had access on Wednesday, overall meat production in the country grew by 5% to 34,716 tonnes during this period, but this represents only 16% of the total forecast for the whole year.

Despite this overall growth, driven by chicken, which rose by 9% in the first three months to 29,023 tonnes, beef production was severely affected, falling by 22% year-on-year.

“Due to the negative impact of the floods and extreme rainfall, which rendered the access routes from livestock-rearing areas to the main slaughter and meat marketing centres impassable (primarily to the City and Province of Maputo and Gaza, the largest producers),” the document states.

It adds that “restrictions on the movement of animals due to disease outbreaks” were “another negative factor” affecting the sector in the first three months of the year.

Mozambican livestock farmers called in February for a government-led livestock restocking programme after losing hundreds of head of cattle due to the January floods, warning of the risk of famine.

According to the same report, Mozambique had a livestock population of 2,583,034 cattle and 21,272,264 chickens at the end of March, representing growth of 5% and 7%, respectively, compared to 2025.

On Tuesday, the Mozambican government lifted the red alert, which had been in place since 16 January, having been declared at the time due to widespread flooding that caused at least 43 deaths, but maintained the orange alert.

“The Cabinet has lifted the red alert but is maintaining the orange alert for a period of two months, so that we can monitor humanitarian assistance and stabilise the affected areas,” announced spokesperson Ussene Isse at the end of the body’s weekly meeting in Maputo.

“We must remain vigilant, because there is still humanitarian aid to be provided and the affected areas need to be stabilised, particularly in the provinces of Maputo and Gaza and other regions of the country,” the spokesperson noted at the meeting.

The latest rainy season killed 314 people, affected more than 1.078 million people and damaged nearly 260,000 homes, according to an update issued on Monday by the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD).

The figures cover the rainy season, which usually runs from October to April, and correspond to 249,053 families affected during this period across the country.

There are also reports of 19 people still missing and 361 injured.

During this rainy season, 211,655 homes were flooded, 15,616 homes were completely destroyed and 31,081 partially destroyed.

The January floods alone, the most severe in several years, caused 43 deaths, 147 injuries and nine people missing, affecting a total of 715,716 people.

Meanwhile, Cyclone Gezani’s passage through Inhambane province on 13 and 14 February caused a further four deaths and affected 9,040 people, according to INGD data.

INGD data also indicates that 320,464 hectares of agricultural land were lost during this period, affecting 373,262 farmers, and 532,985 animals died, including cattle, goats and poultry.

Also affected during this rainy season were 9,735 kilometres of roads, 52 bridges and 237 aqueducts.

PVJ/AYLS // AYLS

Lusa