• Tanzania targets tripling paddy rice output to 8 million tons

• Goal requires higher yields, better inputs, improved mechanization

• Increased production aimed at boosting regional rice exports

Tanzania aims to triple its paddy rice production to 8 million metric tons per year by 2030, a senior agriculture official said.

Peter Msoffe, deputy permanent secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture in charge of crop development and food security, said this in remarks reported by local media on April 4.

If achieved, the target would mark a near threefold increase from the 2.6 million metric tons recorded at the end of the 2024/2025 crop season. No detailed strategy has yet been outlined, but reaching the goal will require tackling structural constraints that continue to limit the sector.

Official data put average paddy rice yields in Tanzania at 3.2 metric tons per hectare, roughly half the potential of 6 metric tons per hectare. Several measures could help narrow that gap.

Officials say expanding cultivated areas alone will not be sufficient. Improving input quality will also be essential, including the adoption of drought-resistant seed varieties, better water management and wider use of precision agriculture technologies. Stronger mechanization and improved post-harvest loss management have also been highlighted.

Export outlook

Tanzania has been self-sufficient in milled rice for several years and exports its surplus to countries across East Africa. Ministry of Agriculture data show that average domestic milled rice production stood at 2.43 million metric tons per year between the 2019/2020 and 2023/2024 crop seasons. Over the same period, domestic demand was estimated at nearly 1.2 million metric tons per year.

Against that backdrop, higher output is primarily aimed at increasing exportable surplus, largely for regional markets.

Tanzania's milled rice exports have been uneven in recent years. According to Trade Map data, the country exported an average of about 387,066 metric tons of milled rice per year between 2020 and 2024, with a peak of 622,422 metric tons in 2022. Export revenues over the same period averaged nearly $191 million per year. Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo are among the main destinations.

Stéphanas Assocle