The role of regional demand in pathways of agro-industrialization: Evidence from small maize milling firms in Tanzania

The growth of regional demand in food chains is often assumed to offer particular opportunities to small scale agro-processing firms in Africa, promising a route to a more inclusive pathway of industrialization for the continent. The aim of the article is to interrogate this assumption by providing a critical assessment of the impacts of Kenya’s growing demand for maize flour on small maize milling firms in Tanzania. It uses an in-depth survey with small millers, interviews with actors in the value chain, combined with secondary manufacturing and trade data, to make a theoretical and empirical contribution to these debates. It offers an expanded conceptual framework to examine the direct and indirect temporal, spatial and political impacts of regional demand on market structure and competition. To conclude it draws out the implications of focussing on regional demand for industrial policy, resilience and economic inclusion.