Tanzania has continued to be among the top food exporters, especially in Africa. As reported by the Bank of Tanzania (BoT) and the Ministry of Agriculture, has emerged as a key player in the global food export industry, catering to countries across Africa and beyond. The central bank's records indicate that the nation earned a whopping $1.01 billion (Sh2.4 trillion) by exporting vegetables during the five-year period spanning 2018-2022. Moreover, Tanzania also sold grain crops, primarily rice and maize, worth $999 million (Sh2.3 trillion) during the same duration.
The BoT issued a statement on March 17, 2023, declaring that "these statistics demonstrate that Tanzania is among the top five rice producers in the entire African continent and the largest rice producer in East Africa." In the 2020/21 season, the country generated 1.85 million tonnes of rice, while the annual requirement is approximately one million tonnes, resulting in a surplus of 850,000 tonnes of rice. Similarly, Tanzania produced 6.5 million tonnes of maize in the same season, exceeding the country's annual demand of six million tonnes.
On the other hand, Tanzania's exports of fish and fish products amounted to S$800 million (Sh1.9 trillion), and fruit exports were valued at $71.4 million (Sh170 billion) between 2018 and 2022. President Samia Suluhu Hassan unveiled these statistics at the State House in Dar es Salaam while announcing the Africa Food Systems Forum, a significant agricultural conference scheduled for September 5-8 this year.
Since assuming office in March 2021, President Samia has increased the government's budget for agriculture to levels unprecedented since independence in 1961. The Samia administration has also invested in seed subsidies, fertilizer subsidies, seed production, and irrigation farming, all of which have contributed to the impressive productivity of the past five years.