Mozambique imported US$63.1 million (€54.5 million) worth of rice between January and March 2025, representing almost 15% of all consumer goods brought into the country during the period, according to the Bank of Mozambique.
This follows a record US$441 million spent on rice imports in 2024—a 38.8% increase from 2023. In the first quarter of 2025, rice was the third most imported consumer good after automobiles (US$84.5 million) and cooking oil (US$79.5 million), as the country spent US$441.8 million on consumer goods overall.
The surge in imports comes against the backdrop of falling domestic cereal production. National Statistics Institute (INE) data shows corn production dropped 11% in 2023 to 2.12 million tons, while rice output fell 34% to 161,829 tons—the lowest in five years. Zambézia province led rice production, followed by Gaza, while Tete and Manica provinces topped corn output. Sorghum and millet production also declined by 15% and 32%, respectively. The figures highlight Mozambique’s growing reliance on food imports to meet domestic demand amid reduced agricultural yields.