Tanzania's maize prices highest in E.Africa

The prices of maize in Tanzania are currently the highest in the East African Community ( EAC), according to a regional trade report on Monday.

Maize is trading on average at 247 U.S. dollars per ton in Dar es Salaam whereas the same commodity is trading at 230 dollars a ton in Nairobi and at 217 dollars a ton in Kampala, said the Regional Agricultural Trade Intelligence Network report.

The high price of maize was caused by a shortage of the commodity in Tanzania and the shortage has forced the Tanzanian government to offer subsidies to importation of maize and to distribution of maize to areas that had reported food shortages due to drought.

The Tanzanian authorities have waived import duties on maize so as to encourage traders to import more maize to help curb the food shortage in the country.

Both the failure of short rains and the delayed arrival of long rains have combined to affect the grain harvests of the country, according to experts from the agriculture ministry.

Source: Xinhua