• Mozambique’s private sector discusses technical cooperation with Thai rice industry players to boost local production.

• Mozambique produces less than 260,000 tonnes of rice annually, forcing heavy reliance on imports.

• The country imported about 534,000 tonnes of milled rice per year between 2020 and 2024, with Thailand among its key suppliers.

Mozambique’s rice industry has begun exploring cooperation opportunities with private-sector partners from Thailand in an effort to improve domestic production.

Local media reported that industry representatives raised this prospect after a meeting on March 6 between the Confederation of Economic Associations of Mozambique (CTA), the country’s main business organization, and a Thai delegation.

Mozambican stakeholders aim to strengthen productivity in the rice sector and gradually reduce reliance on imports, which remain significant for this staple food.

According to Amâncio Gume, Vice-President of the CTA, the discussions aim to leverage Thai expertise and agricultural technologies to stimulate local rice production.

Thailand has developed extensive experience across the rice value chain, including cultivation techniques, processing infrastructure and export logistics.

This experience makes the Asian country an attractive partner for Mozambique’s private sector as it seeks to modernize domestic production.

Thailand currently ranks as the world’s second-largest exporter of milled rice after India, according to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The country exported an average of 8.8 million tonnes annually between 2020 and 2024.

Thailand also ranks as the sixth-largest rice producer globally, behind China, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Vietnam.

“Imagine the impact if this experience were applied in Mozambique: producing, processing locally and supplying both the national market and regional markets,” Gume said.

Mozambique’s rice sector has struggled for years to sustainably increase domestic output.

Data from the FAO show that annual rice production in Mozambique fluctuates significantly and has never exceeded 260,000 tonnes over the past two decades.

As a result, the country relies heavily on imports to meet rising domestic demand for the cereal.

Trade data compiled on the Trade Map platform show that Mozambique imported about 534,000 tonnes of milled rice annually between 2020 and 2024.

Key suppliers include Thailand, India, Vietnam, Myanmar and China.

Against this backdrop, industry leaders see cooperation with Thai partners as a potential pathway to strengthen productivity, expand processing capacity and gradually reduce Mozambique’s dependence on imported rice.

This article was initially published in French by Stéphanas Assocle

Adapted in English by Ange J.A de Berry Quenum