Tanzania advises corn growers to consider export markets

Authorities in Tanzania have advised maize farmers to look for markets for their excess crop in nearby nations.

The Ministry of Agriculture reports that the nation anticipates a bountiful crop, with an excess of more than 1.2 million tons of maize anticipated for sale to neighboring countries, above the early demand estimates.

The National Food Reserve Agency plans to buy cereals from farmers early in July because of the anticipated record-breaking maize harvests in southern major growing areas.

Executive director of the National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA), Dr. Andrew Komba, announced that the organization will begin purchasing food crops from farmers in July, including as rice and maize, for storage and eventual sale to domestic and international markets.

According to food agency officials, the goal of the NFRA policy was to manage food reserves to guarantee a sustainable supply that would satisfy both domestic and export needs.

The organization had established 14 crop buying facilities in the southern highlands, which are major producers of maize. During the June–July harvesting season, the Ministry of Agriculture had set up Tsh300 billion ($115 million) to purchase about 300,000 tons of food crops.

Tanzania hopes to produce 31.5 million tons of food crops this year, up from 20.4 million tons harvested the previous year, according to Minister of Agriculture Hussein Bashe. He stated that during the 2024 season, which spans from mid-June to July, the nation anticipates harvesting more than 10 million tons of maize.

According to Mr. Bashe, Tanzania produced 8.1 million tons of maize last year compared to the demand of 6 million tons, leaving 2.1 million tons extra for export.

Tanzania’s population consumes roughly 15 million tons of food annually, primarily in the form of cereals and non-cereals, leaving a surplus of food crops that can be exported.

He counseled dealers in maize to grow their enterprises by searching for nations where there is a scarcity of the crop by obtaining export licenses through the Agricultural Trade Management Information System.

The minister instructed traders to seize control of the East African Community’s expanding food markets.

In accordance with a trade agreement agreed on May 21, 2024, Tanzania would export 500,000 tons of maize to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The maize commercial deal with Congo, according to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, is one of Tanzania’s plans for increasing food crop exports to other nations in order to establish itself as the continent’s hub for food production.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is primarily dependent on imports of cereals to fulfill its needs, even with its ideal climate and agricultural acreage.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (Fao) estimates that, given its large population, the Democratic Republic of the Congo produces about two million (2 million) tonnes of grains annually.

In 2022, the DRC government bought cereals valued at $12 million, according to a prior estimate from Fao.

In order to effectuate the maize purchase agreement, Tanzania’s governor of Katanga province, Jacques Kyabula Katwe, visited Tanzania on May 21 and met in the country’s capital, Dodoma, with Mr. Hussein Bashe, the minister of agriculture.

In order to prevent a food crisis in the DRC, the governor of Katanga declared that they will keep working with Tanzania to purchase food goods.