Dar es Salaam, July 1 -- FOR generations, Tanzanian farmers have had a close, possibly even overcommitted relationship with maize. It has been the backbone of smallholder farming, the star of every local market, and the unofficial mascot of the dinner table. But let us face it: maize has become the agricultural equivalent of that friend who never quite pays their share of the bill.

Reliable? Sometimes. Profitable? Increasingly not. With weather patterns becoming as unpredictable as a soap opera plot twist and maize prices dancing to their own indecipherable rhythm, farmers have been left vulnerable.

Enter the heroes of our next agricultural chapter: high-value fruits like mangoes, avocados, and papayas. Not only are they delicious (have...