TANZANIA is racing to be East Africa’s rice hub by meeting in totality the regional need for the food crop. Tanzania is currently the 4th largest producer of rice in Africa and the second-largest in Eastern and Southern Africa.
It has put in place adequate plans and measures to increase rice production annually to reach a tipping point in 2030, with the ability to feed the region and beyond.
The Director of Mechanisation and Irrigation Division in the Ministry of Agriculture, Anna Mwangamilo said Tanzania adopted a transformative technology-dependent agricultural system model for rice production, mass adoption of improved seeds use and modern irrigation.
“In 2021, the rice produced increased to over three million metric tonnes,” said Ms Mwangamilo.
The implementation of the 2019-2030 National Rice Development Strategy Phase II (NRDS-II) would propel Tanzania to be the regional hub for rice and associated products on or before the close of the decade, she said.
NRDS II seeks to increase production to 8.8 million tonnes by 2030. On top of that the provision of substantial market opportunities for smallholder farmers in the last three years, has led to assured national self-sufficiency and a sizable surplus for export, making rice one of the most significant cash crops in Tanzania.
Development partners, including Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and others, have also played a role in catalysing businessdriven increased productivity. She said AGRA and USAID’s supported African Rice Initiative in East Africa (CARI-EA) has set a good precedent for improving the rice value chain and making it more profitable for farmers and other players.
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The crop alongside maize is strategic cereal, as per Agricultural Sector Development Programmes (ASDP II), which guides AGRA investments in Tanzania.
AGRA in an initiative named Competitive African Rice Initiative in East Africa (CARI-EA) from April 2019 to this April financed by USAID contributed to increasing production and expanding market access for about 150,000 smallholder rice farmers in Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar.
The AGRA Tanzania Country Manager, Mr Vianey Rweyendela, said last year the country consolidated its position as the leading producer and exporter of rice in East Africa.
“It means our rice has become more competitive in terms of quality and price than the imports from countries like Pakistan, which were threatening the incomes of smallholder farmers,” Mr Rweyendela said.
While the rest of the EAC states import significant rice, Tanzania predominantly produces enough for domestic consumption and significant surplus for export, with minimal rice imports for aroma due to consumer preference.
Tanzania’s Ministry of Agriculture data show Dar es Salaam exported 441,908 metric tonnes of rice last year worth 476.8bn/- and 189,277mt of maize valued 72.4bn/-
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