TZ@60: Six decades of seeking food self-sufficiency in Tanzania

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Mwananchi Communications Limited

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The country reached food self-sufficiency 17 years ago, and attained a surplus food production status eight years ago

Tanzania started having consistent food self-sufficiency in the 2005/06 season. Food shortages, sufficiency and surplus is measured by the Self-Sufficient Ratio (SSR) in terms of percentages. Sufficient food supply, which means production is just enough to meet local demands, is indicated by the SSR of between 100 per cent and 120 per cent. Surplus production, which means the country has spare food to export, is indicated by the SSR of more than 120 per cent while food deficit, which means the country needs to import food, is denoted by SSR of less than 100 per cent. In the 2005/06 season Tanzania had the SSR of 103 per cent. In the previous season (2004/05) the country had severe drought that caused a food deficit (SSR of 88 percent) that was filled by imports. From 2005/06 season to 2013/14 Tanzania experienced food self-sufficiency (SSR of between 100 and 119 percent). The following season (2014/15) the country experienced food production surplus, which continued consecutively to the 2018/19 season.

Despite food sufficiency and the surplus, Tanzania has always had pockets of food shortages. In fact the sufficiency or surplus reflects the national average and not an overriding reality. For example, in the 2021/22 financial year, only 13 regions have a food surplus, ranging from 240 percent SSR in Ruvuma to 120 percent SSR in Mtwara. The best performing regions - with SSR of more than 200 percent - are Njombe (202), Katavi (208), Songwe (2014), Rukwa (235) and Ruvuma (240). About 12 regions had food sufficiency that ranged between 118 percent SSR in the Coast Region and 107 percent SSR in Mwanza. Dar es Salaam had a total food deficit of one per cent SSR. The ministry of Agriculture projections show that 17 districts in eight regions (Tanga, Manyara, Arusha, Kilimanjaro, Mara, Singida, Simiyu and Dodoma) will have pockets of food shortages in some districts.

TZ@60: Six decades of seeking food self-sufficiency in Tanzania

What you need to know:

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