Why does Comoros import much of its food despite local farming?

Despite efforts to establish self-sufficiency in food production, Comoros remains heavily dependent on food imports. This reliance is driven by several interconnected economic and environmental factors:

• Land Use and Cash Crops: A significant portion of the available land is dedicated to plantations for export-oriented cash crops, such as vanilla, ylang-ylang, coffee, and cacao, rather than food crops for local consumption.1
• Limited Cultivable Land: The islands face a severe shortage of arable land, which is further exacerbated by deforestation caused by the expansion of ylang-ylang production.1
• Economic Challenges: The country struggles with overpopulation, poor harvests, and high unemployment, which hinder the productivity of the local agricultural sector.1
• Underdeveloped Fishing: Although Comoros is an island nation, its fishing industry remains small-scale and has not fully realized its potential, with much of the tuna in local waters being harvested by foreign fleets.1

Consequently, while many islanders rely on subsistence farming for staples like cassava and bananas, the country must import essential goods, including rice and meat, to meet domestic demand.12