Maize farmers in Tanzania earn big as prices soar

MAIZE farmers are laughing all the way to bank as prices are rising despite increased supply from the onset of harvest season this year thanks to government initiatives to buy the crop at competitive prices. 'Daily News' survey in Morogoro, Mara and Dar es Salaam shows that maize prices have soared to between 800/- and 1,000/- per kilogramme in Morogoro and Dar es Salaam to the delight of farmers as the government offered them higher than prevailing market prices. The prices of maize last season without the government directive were at around 400/- per kilo. Last month the government announced National Food Reserve Agency would be buying the crop for between 800/- and 1,000/- per kilogramme. The survey in Mvomero, Kilosa districts in Morogoro, Musoma in Mara and Dar es Salaam showed that the prices did not fall despite increased supply as the harvesting season began. A farmer, Joseph Tumaini at Kibati Village in Mvomero Region in Morogoro said that the price of 100kg sack of maize ...