The effect of the National Food Reserve Agency on maize market prices in Tanzania

Tanzania's National Food Reserve Agency has a mandate to ensure food security through procuring, reserving and recycling grain (primarily maize) in a cost‐effective manner. This mandate excludes a price stabilization role. Procurement prices, based on production costs, are often set above market pri...

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Main Authors: Pierre, Guillaume, Pauw, Karl, Magrini, Emiliano
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Wiley 2018
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/145884
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author Pierre, Guillaume
Pauw, Karl
Magrini, Emiliano
author_browse Magrini, Emiliano
Pauw, Karl
Pierre, Guillaume
author_facet Pierre, Guillaume
Pauw, Karl
Magrini, Emiliano
author_sort Pierre, Guillaume
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Tanzania's National Food Reserve Agency has a mandate to ensure food security through procuring, reserving and recycling grain (primarily maize) in a cost‐effective manner. This mandate excludes a price stabilization role. Procurement prices, based on production costs, are often set above market prices to encourage production. Several disbursements channels exist: grain provided free or at a discount to targeted vulnerable households; subsidized sales to millers; and sales to prisons or nongovernmental aid programs, typically at market‐related prices. Given the perception that these activities are distortive, we use time‐series econometrics to model maize price dynamics in select wholesale markets to capture the Agency's market impact. We find that its pricing strategy had an insignificant impact on prices during 2010/11–2014/15 despite a fairly significant presence in at least some regional markets. We recommend that the Agency reconsiders offering a price premium on procured maize or selling maize at discount to millers, as limited market spill‐over effects imply the benefits are captured by only a few, even though its practice of providing subsidized or free maize to vulnerable people is not in question. Furthermore, current storage capacity expansion plans are not required and inconsistent with its food security mandate.
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spelling CGSpace1458842025-02-27T17:07:19Z The effect of the National Food Reserve Agency on maize market prices in Tanzania Pierre, Guillaume Pauw, Karl Magrini, Emiliano market prices food policies agricultural policies social protection maize econometrics food security Tanzania's National Food Reserve Agency has a mandate to ensure food security through procuring, reserving and recycling grain (primarily maize) in a cost‐effective manner. This mandate excludes a price stabilization role. Procurement prices, based on production costs, are often set above market prices to encourage production. Several disbursements channels exist: grain provided free or at a discount to targeted vulnerable households; subsidized sales to millers; and sales to prisons or nongovernmental aid programs, typically at market‐related prices. Given the perception that these activities are distortive, we use time‐series econometrics to model maize price dynamics in select wholesale markets to capture the Agency's market impact. We find that its pricing strategy had an insignificant impact on prices during 2010/11–2014/15 despite a fairly significant presence in at least some regional markets. We recommend that the Agency reconsiders offering a price premium on procured maize or selling maize at discount to millers, as limited market spill‐over effects imply the benefits are captured by only a few, even though its practice of providing subsidized or free maize to vulnerable people is not in question. Furthermore, current storage capacity expansion plans are not required and inconsistent with its food security mandate. 2018-03-01 2024-06-21T09:05:16Z 2024-06-21T09:05:16Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/145884 en Limited Access Wiley Pierre, Guillaume; Pauw, Karl; and Magrini, Emiliano. The effect of the National Food Reserve Agency on maize market prices in Tanzania. Review of Development Economics. 22(2): 540-557. https://doi.org/10.1111/rode.12374
spellingShingle market prices
food policies
agricultural policies
social protection
maize
econometrics
food security
Pierre, Guillaume
Pauw, Karl
Magrini, Emiliano
The effect of the National Food Reserve Agency on maize market prices in Tanzania
title The effect of the National Food Reserve Agency on maize market prices in Tanzania
title_full The effect of the National Food Reserve Agency on maize market prices in Tanzania
title_fullStr The effect of the National Food Reserve Agency on maize market prices in Tanzania
title_full_unstemmed The effect of the National Food Reserve Agency on maize market prices in Tanzania
title_short The effect of the National Food Reserve Agency on maize market prices in Tanzania
title_sort effect of the national food reserve agency on maize market prices in tanzania
topic market prices
food policies
agricultural policies
social protection
maize
econometrics
food security
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/145884
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