Why crop exports have risen 9.5 percent $2.3 billion in two years

Dar es Salaam. The value of crop exports increased to $2.3 billion in the year to December 2023 from $2.1 billion recorded in 2020/21, according to the Agriculture ministry.

The 9.5 percent increase has mainly been attributed to exports of coffee, tobacco, cashew nuts, rice, sesame, legumes and horticultural produce, especially avocados.

Agriculture minister Hussein Bashe says in a 2023 performance review that avocado exports increased from 17,711.49 tonnes worth $51 million in 2020/21 to 26,826.3 tonnes valued at $77.3 million in 2023.

“Avocados were exported to the Netherlands, France, UK, Spain, Belgium, Russia, Germany, Norway, South Africa, India and the United Arab Emirates. In 2024, Tanzania will start exporting avocados to China,” he says.

Cotton exports more than doubled, rising from 32,608.8 tonnes worth $15.6 million in 2020/21 to 65,771.38 tonnes valued at $33.5 million in 2023.

Mr Bashe says coffee exports rose more than three-fold from 25,084.14 tonnes worth $44.1 million to 94,548.85 tonnes valued at $170.2 million during the period under review.

Some 32,587.29 tonnes of tobacco valued at $142.4 million were exported in 2023, up from 8,376.8 tonnes worth $35.2 million that were sold outside in 2020/21.

The production of food crops increased to 20,402,014 tonnes from 17,148,290 tonnes during the period under review. The 19 percent increase played a key role in enabling Tanzania to become self-sufficient in food.

“Production of commercial crops such as cashew nuts, cotton, pyrethrum, coffee, tobacco, tea, sisal, sugar and cocoa rose from 983,177 tonnes in 2020/21 to 1,291,006.64 tonnes in the year to December 2023. This represented a  31.3 percent increase,” Mr Bashe says.

Production of horticultural crops such as flowers, fruits, spices and vegetables increased from 7,304,723 tonnes to 7,723,115.66 tonnes after Tanzania accessed more foreign markets.

Avocado production rose from 149,340 tonnes to 195,000 tonnes, making Tanzania the third biggest producer of the crop in  Africa after South Africa and Kenya.

Responding to the review, Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (Sagcot) executive director Geoffrey Kirenga told The Citizen that the relevant authorities should focus on increasing the production of food crops in areas with the requisite infrastructure.

“Emphasis should be placed on increasing the production of leguminous crops that bring in up to $300 million annually. Soybean production should also be increased to minimise imports, whose annual value currently stands at nearly $45 million,” he said.

Mr Kirenga added that farmers in major maize producing regions such as Iringa, Njombe, Mbeya, Ruvuma and Rukwa currently harvest less than three tonnes per hectare, but yields could rise to at least ten tonnes if modern agricultural practices were employed.

“Productivity and value addition involving traditional export crops such as cashew nuts and coffee should be improved and this could double export volumes in the next few years,” he said, adding that it was time to turn to value-addition strategies that had existed for many years without being implemented.

Mr Kirenga Tanzania should ensure that avocados grown in the country were of the highest quality, noting that unscrupulous dealers were buying immature fruits from farmers as a result of increased demand.

He also said Tanzania should put more emphasis on the production of spices.

“We need to increase the production of crops such as cloves, cinnamon, black pepper and ginger, among others, which are now in high demand globally.”

A lecturer at the Sokoine University of Agriculture, Dr Anna Temu, said Tanzania should strictly adhere to international standards set for crops its sells outside and also ensure that it meets delivery requirements.

“We need to ensure reliability in production and stick to quality and post-harvest requirements. Our problem is that we find it difficult to harmonise quality, packaging, handling and delivery.

“For instance, horticultural crops require cold facilities. They require controlled temperatures from the time they are harvested to when they are loaded onto ships or aircraft for export,” Dr Temu added.

During production, farmers should avoid using chemicals if possible, she said.

Dr Temu advised Tanzania to fully tap the potential of regional markets.

“Tanzania hasn’t made use of regional markets and is instead focusing on other international markets. We need to make full use of regional markets that are at our disposal,” she said.