Why Tanzania exports to UK market went up

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s value of exported fresh or chilled beans to the UK increased by 12.2 per cent in the last eight years as Kenya’s fell by the same rate.

According to the latest study by Overseas Development Institute, exports to the UK from the rest of the world have risen by 15 per cent in eight years to 2017.

Tanzania Horticultural Association (Taha) says the improvement on the side of Tanzania is a result of increased awareness of market requirements and improved standards of horticulture products.

Taha chief executive officer Jacqueline Mkindi says: ”There has been a slight improvement on the awareness of our entrepreneurs to ensure raw materials from their farms are meeting requirements and standards set in the European Union market.”

But she was of the view that a lot could be done to enable stakeholders to benefit more from horticulture.

“We need to have a clear policy, good infrastructure and better agriculture inputs so that we can have better outputs.”

According to her, more emphasis should also be placed on providing entrepreneurs with technical skills as well as improving research and development programmes.

The study also showed that Kenya’s share in UK imports fell from 16 per cent in 2011 to seven per cent by 2014 as vegetables and flowers lost competitiveness to those of neighbouring countries due to improved wages, marketing systems, diversity and standard compliance.

“The lack of diversification has reduced Kenya’s competitiveness and given rise to significant competition from other African countries such as Rwanda, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Ivory Coast, all gradually eating into Kenya’s market share in the UK,” Dirk Wellem Te Velde, principal research fellow and head of Economic Development Group, was quoted in the report.

“Kenya has lost its competitiveness to other countries and that has to be rectified by upping its standards, improve marketing and branding of its products as well as diversifying,” said Mr Velde.

Horticulture encompasses a smaller scale of cultivation, using small plots of mixed crops rather than large fields of single crops.