Cassava
Cassava is recognized among the major food crops that drove Tanzania's total food production from 17,148,290 tonnes in 2021/2022 to 22,803,316 tonnes in 2023/2024, lifting the country's Food Self-Sufficiency Ratio to 128%.[1]
Cassava occupies a strategic position in Tanzania's agricultural matrix, functioning simultaneously as a staple food security crop and as a prioritized commodity earmarked for commercial transformation under the Agriculture Master Plan 2050.
The crop is cultivated alongside maize, rice, pulses, and bananas as one of the principal contributors to national food output, and it has been singled out by the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) as a key target for productivity gains, value addition, and export expansion.
Cassava in Tanzania's Food Production Matrix
Cassava is classified among the major food crops driving Tanzania's expanding agricultural output, sitting alongside maize, rice, pulses, and bananas in the national production basket.[1]
Total food production in Tanzania rose from 17,148,290 tonnes in the 2021/2022 period to 22,803,316 tonnes in 2023/2024.
This surge raised the country's Food Self-Sufficiency Ratio to 128%, supported by favorable climatic conditions, improved input supplies, targeted agricultural policies, and coordinated stakeholder efforts.
Cassava production therefore directly underpins household food security while contributing to the surplus that has enabled Tanzania to expand into regional and international markets.
Policy Framework and Strategic Prioritization
Cassava is explicitly listed as a prioritized commodity under the Agriculture Master Plan 2050, the long-term framework guiding the transformation of Tanzania's agricultural sector.
Within the Master Plan's list of priority commodities, cassava is grouped under the vegetables category, alongside other strategic crops including avocado, banana, cloves, potatoes, cotton, cashew, sisal, coffee, maize, paddy, sorghum, wheat, sunflower, sesame, soybeans, kidney beans and other pulses.
The Master Plan sets sector-wide targets that include processing of specific commodities tenfold through warehouses and market linkages, and increasing regional and international exports to USD 6 billion.
To accelerate implementation, the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) introduced the Agriculture Growth Corridor of Tanzania initiative in 2025, building on the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania launched in 2010 as a public-private partnership to transform Tanzania's agricultural sector.
The corridor approach covers Tanzania's Central Zone, Southern Zone, Mtwara Zone, and Northern Zone, and is designed to strengthen production and productivity, improve market access, enhance capital access, promote crop value addition, and facilitate the availability of agricultural inputs.
Investment Opportunities in Cassava
Cassava is formally listed by the MOA among the commodities open for investment, appearing alongside edible vegetable oil seeds such as sesame, sunflower, palm oil and soya beans, maize, rice, legumes including pigeon peas and lentils, horticultural crops such as grapes, cloves, cut flowers and avocado, cashew nuts, sisal, cotton, and pyrethrum.[2]
Priority investment areas relevant to cassava include commercial farming of strategic crops across the agricultural corridors and the deployment of productive infrastructure such as irrigation systems and water harvesting facilities.
Further opportunities exist in the supply and local manufacturing of inputs and farm machinery, as well as in post-harvest facilities including pack houses, cold storage, and warehouses tailored to root and tuber crops.
Agro-processing facilities for cereals, oilseeds, cashews, sugar, coffee, dairy, and fish are explicitly identified as priority areas, and cassava processing fits within this broader value-addition push.
Export facilitation through auctions, logistics, and crop hubs rounds out the priority list, supporting cassava's pathway from smallholder field to regional and international markets.
Productivity Drivers and Natural Resource Base
The expansion of cassava and other food crops has been supported by favorable climatic conditions across recent seasons, alongside improved input supplies and targeted agricultural policies.
Tanzania is endowed with extensive water resources, including rivers, lakes, and underground sources, which provide significant opportunities for irrigation of cassava and other crops.
Coordinated stakeholder efforts, combining public policy direction with private-sector engagement, have reinforced the productivity gains visible in the 2023/2024 production figures.
These same drivers are expected to sustain cassava's role as both a food security pillar and a candidate for export-oriented value addition.
Export Markets and Trade Positioning
Agriculture accounted for 23.6% of Tanzania's total goods exports in 2025, providing the trade backdrop within which cassava and other prioritized commodities are positioned for export growth.[1]
Tanzania continues to supply established traditional markets, including the European Union—specifically Belgium, Poland, and Germany—the United Arab Emirates, and Far East markets including South Korea, Indonesia, and China.
The sector is simultaneously expanding into new markets, such as the United States, with these regions serving as primary importers for Tanzanian tobacco, cereals, pulses, and fruits such as avocados.
The Agriculture Master Plan 2050 target of lifting regional and international exports to USD 6 billion provides the strategic ceiling toward which cassava value chains, alongside other prioritized commodities, are being aligned.
Last Update: May 2026
References
Want to know more about Cassava in Tanzania? Our free Tanzania Business and Investment Guide 2026 covers Cassava, plus regulations, key sectors, and investment opportunities—all in one place.
Download Free Guide
