By APOLINARI TAIRO

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Tanzanian authorities have urged maize farmers to seek markets in neighbouring countries for their surplus.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the country expects bumper harvest, and the surplus will exceed the preliminary demand assessment of maize, more than 1.2 million tonnes estimated for export markets in neighbouring countries.

National Food Reserve Agency is set to purchase cereals from farmers earlier in July due to expected bumper maize harvests from key growing areas in southern.

National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) executive director Dr Andrew Komba said the agency was set to start buying maize, rice and other food crops from farmers for storage and selling to local and foreign food markets beginning July.

NFRA strategy was to manage food reserves to ensure sustainable supply that would meet both domestic and export needs, the food agency officials said.

Read: Kenya loses 42pc of Tanzania maize imports

The agency had opened 14 crop purchasing centres in leading maize producing areas in the southern highlands. Ministry of Agriculture had allocated Tsh300 billion ($115 million) for buying some 300,000 tonnes of food crops during the harvesting season between June and July.

Minister for Agriculture Hussein Bashe said Tanzania expects to produce 31.5 million tonnes of food crops compared with 20.4 million tonnes harvested last year. He said the country expects to harvest over 10 million tonnes of maize during the 2024 season that runs between mid-June and July.

Mr Bashe said Tanzania had produced 8.1 million tonnes of maize last year against a demand of 6 million tonnes, making a surplus of 2.1 million tonnes for export markets.

Tanzania’s annual total food demand and consumption for its population is about 15 million tonnes, mostly cereals and non-cereals, creating a surplus of food crops for export.

He advised maize traders to expand their businesses by looking for countries that have a shortage of maize through export permits under the coordination of the Agricultural Trade Management Information System.

The minister told traders to capture the expanded food markets in the East African Community.

Tanzania will export 500,000 tonnes of maize to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) under a trade agreement signed on May 21, 2024.

Read: Tanzania to sell 500,000 tonnes of maize to DRC

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture said the maize business agreement with Congo was part of strategies that Tanzania is implementing to increase the export of food crops to other countries, aiming to become the centre of food production in Africa.

DRC heavily relies on external imports to meet its cereal demands despite favorable agricultural land and conducive climate conditions.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (Fao), cereals production in DR Congo is estimated at around two million (2 million) tonnes per year against its big population.

DRC government had imported cereals worth $12 million in 2022, Fao said through its previous report.

Katanga province governor Jacques Kyabula Katwe visited Tanzania on May 21 then held discussions with the minister for Agriculture Mr Hussein Bashe in Tanzania’s capital Dodoma to facilitate the maize purchase agreement.

The Katanga governor said that they will continue to cooperate with Tanzania in the purchase of food products to ensure that DRC does not experience food shortage.