Tanzania’s NFRA to sell one million tonnes of grains in 2025/2026
TANZANIA – The National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) has announced plans to sell approximately one million tonnes of grains in the 2025/2026 financial year, targeting both local and international markets.
The agency has secured multiple trade agreements to support this initiative, which aims to strengthen Tanzania’s food trade partnerships and optimize the management of surplus food supplies.
Speaking in Dar es Salaam, Dr. Andrew Komba, NFRA’s Director General, emphasized the agency’s core mission of ensuring national food security.
Komba highlighted that by selling surplus food to countries in need, NFRA provides economic empowerment for farmers and generates revenue for the nation.
Over the past four years, NFRA has successfully sold around 600,000 tonnes of maize, millet, rice, beans, and peas to international markets, including India and China.
According to Dr. Komba, these achievements are a result of bold decisions by the government under the leadership of President Samia Suluhu Hassan, which have enhanced NFRA’s purchasing power and improved storage facilities.
“Four years ago, NFRA had the capacity to sell only between 50,000 to 60,000 tonnes of grains. However, after capacity building, efficiency improved, and in the last two years, we were able to sell 600,000 tonnes as citizens engaged in productive agriculture and produced higher-quality crops, especially maize and rice,”Dr. Komba stated.
As part of its market expansion strategy, NFRA secured a contract to sell 650,000 tonnes of grains to Zambia, with half of the delivery already completed. The contract is expected to be finalized by May this year.
Additionally, NFRA has successfully sold 500,000 tonnes to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and 35,000 tonnes to the World Food Programme (WFP), bringing the total volume sold to an impressive 1,185,000 tonnes.
Looking ahead, NFRA is exploring new trade opportunities, with Mozambique expressing interest in purchasing Tanzanian crops. Meanwhile, Malawi has signed an agreement to buy 50,000 tonnes, with 20,000 tonnes already committed.
Dr. Komba underscored NFRA’s commitment to seeking international markets for surplus food produced domestically, which in turn boosts productivity across the agricultural value chain.
He urged Tanzanian farmers to embrace modern and efficient agricultural practices to meet the quality standards required in global markets, ensuring sustainable trade partnerships for NFRA’s expanding operations.
“These efforts align with the President’s vision to expand Tanzania’s food market internationally,” Dr. Komba said.
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