Tanzania recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Zimbabwe for the export of 100,000t of maize in 2016–2017 at USD345 per ton.
Zimbabwe used to import maize from Zambia; however, the Government of Zambia banned maize exports earlier in 2016 due to low supplies of the crop.
According to Tanzania’s Ministry of Agriculture, the country’s production in 2016–2017 is expected to reach 6.3m t against a demand of 5.2m t.
Accordingly, Tanzania consumes 90% of its maize production and exports the rest mainly to Kenya (80%), as well as Somalia, Burundi, South Sudan, Rwanda and Uganda.
Tanzania’s maize production amounted to 6m t in 2015, compared to 4.7m t in 2010, representing an increase of 28%.
To further increase maize productivity, Tanzania started its first trial for Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) maize, aimed at demonstrating whether the GMO crop can be effectively grown in the country.
