Tanzania tops rice production in East Africa, ranks fourth on the continent, leads in cereal exports

Tanzania as per latest figures, is the currently the country that Feeds the entire East African Region with Rice, with a surplus for overseas exports.

According to Data Speak, Tanzania’s Rice Production is nearly twice the production of the other seven East African Community (EAC) member countries Combined.

At the moment paddy farms in Tanzania yield an average of 3.8 million metric tons of rice per year.

 The other East African countries are Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, The Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and the recently joined Somalia, whose total rice production is less than half of that of Tanzania.

As it happens, between 2018 and 2022, Tanzania’s annual rice production averaged at 3.6 million Metric tons.

The other seven East African Countries managed to produce a combined 2.0 Million Metric tons between them. This means Tanzania harvests 1.6 Million more Metric Tons compared to the other regional bloc’s member states.

The highest rice production volume in Tanzania reached 4.5 Million Metric tons, which was recorded in the year 2020 thanks to excessive rains that precipitated during that time.

While the country tops rice production in the Eastern African Region, Tanzania ranks fourth on the continent, after Nigeria, Egypt and Madagascar.

Rice farming is a water intensive type of agriculture, which makes Egypt a miracle country as far as its leading production, is concerned.

All the same, Tanzania remains Africa’s largest exporter of Rice. For instance in 2021, the country shipped out more than 1.2 Million Metric Tons of rice, which was nearly a third of its total annual production.

From its 2021 rice exports, Tanzania managed to generate nearly USD 0.6 Billion. In Tanzania Rice is mostly produced in Iringa, Kahama, Manyara, Shinyanga, Morogoro and Mbeya Regions.

Kenya, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) account for nearly 80 percent of Tanzania Rice Export Markets.

But domestic market in the country is also promising, most Tanzanians enjoy their plates of the cereal.

During one of the East African Community (EAC) Heads of State Summits held in Arusha, the President of Uganda remarked that most people in his country loved the aromatic rice from Tanzania, though he himself usually doesn’t include rice in his menu.

Maize meal is still the leading staple in Eastern African Countries but rice is slowly but surely overtaking the former mainly due to its easier method of preparations.

Rice is the de-facto restaurant meal and usually features in all public ceremonies.