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.
(Source – tanzaniainvest.com)