• Tanzania produced a record 12.26 million tons of maize in 2023/2024, up 53%.

• Output pushed the country ahead of Nigeria and Ethiopia, second only to South Africa.

• Growth was driven by fertilizer subsidies, certified seeds, and better farming practices.

Tanzania set a record maize harvest of 12.26 million tons in the 2023/2024 season, according to figures from the Ministry of Agriculture released in May.

This volume is 53% higher than the 8 million tons the previous year and also marks the first time Tanzania reaches 10 million tons. The strong performance pushed the country to second place among Africa’s maize producers, behind South Africa at 12.85 million tons, and ahead of Nigeria (11.2 million tons) and Ethiopia (10 million tons).

Maize production in Africa’s top producing countries since 2019/2020

Tanzania’s maize output has climbed steadily for half a decade. Since the 2019/2020 season, when production stood at 6.5 million tons, annual growth has averaged 17.04%. Officials credit the rise to continued public investment and support to farmers, along with improved farming techniques.

The Ministry of Agriculture noted that the government injected 150 billion shillings ($60.2 million) into its fertilizer subsidy program in 2023/2024. This initiative raised fertilizer use by 44.8% year-on-year to 840,000 tons, nearly 84% higher than the 457,855 tons recorded in 2019/2020.

Maize alone accounts for nearly 50% of all fertilizer used in the country. According to the ministry, the wider adoption of fertilizers by farmers has been made possible through stronger extension services, input subsidy programs, and the expansion of irrigated land.

The report also highlighted a significant increase in the use of certified seeds thanks to stronger local production. In 2023/2024, the supply of improved seeds reached 72,032 tons, covering 56.4% of annual demand estimated at 127,650 tons.

“Maize had the highest availability, with 43,268 tons, representing 60.1% of the national seed supply. Of this total, 29,539 tons (68.3%) were produced locally, while 13,729 tons (31.7%) were imported. This shows that Tanzania has developed a relatively mature local maize seed industry, although it still relies partly on imports to meet demand for specific varieties,” the report said.

An alternative to GMO

The success of Tanzania’s maize sector has reignited debate over the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to raise yields, as more African countries adopt such technologies.

South Africa has been the only African country planting GMO maize since 1997. More recently, Nigeria in 2024 and Ethiopia in 2025 authorized the cultivation and commercialization of the transgenic “Tela” variety to boost production.

Tanzania, by contrast, has remained cautious. Under its Biosafety Regulations adopted in 2009, any entity that produces, markets, imports, or handles biotechnology products is held liable for any direct or indirect damage. “This liability requirement has effectively acted as a ban on agricultural biotechnology in Tanzania. In 2016, the government authorized the national agricultural research institute (TARI) to conduct field trials of drought-tolerant GMO maize. In 2021, these trials were suspended. Currently, no GMO field trials are underway in Tanzania,” the U.S. Department of Agriculture noted in a report published in November 2024.

Tanzania’s rise above Nigeria and Ethiopia in 2023/2024 shows that higher productivity and resilience can be achieved through other means. The progress underscores the importance of quality inputs—non-GMO improved seeds and fertilizers—along with modern farming practices. It also demonstrates that the absence of GMOs does not necessarily limit a sector’s growth.

Next steps for Tanzania

The next challenge is to catch up with South Africa, which has averaged 15.7 million tons of maize between 2019/2020 and 2023/2024. Tanzania’s sector still faces hurdles, particularly post-harvest losses that affect about 11% of annual output, according to official estimates.

To address this, the government announced in May that it plans to build new infrastructure to expand the storage capacity of the National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) to 3 million tons by 2030, up from an estimated 340,000 tons in 2022. The project aims to reduce post-harvest losses not only in maize but across the wider agricultural sector.