The country's per capita agricultural output fell behind its population growth. Other problems, including pest infestation, lack of foreign investment in agriculture, and inadequate rainfall forced Tanzania to import large quantities of cereals in 1983-85 to feed its people. Rice, the second most important staple food, is grown mainly by small-scale farmers for domestic consumption. Other food crops include sorghum, millet, pulses, cassava, potatoes, bananas, plantains, sugar, groundnuts, sesame, coconuts, and soy beans. The major crops for export or industrial use include coffee, cotton, tea, tobacco, cashew nuts, and sisal.
Coffee is the country's major export.
Its production provides income for more than two million people. Tea and sisal are grown mainly on large estates. Sisal is one of the primary foreign exchange earners. In 1976, its production declined due to competition from synthetic fibers and the government nationalization of Sisal industries. Production started picking up in the 1990s and remained higher than originally estimated, with levels of 36,000 tons in 1991, and 28,000 tons in 1992.