Tanzanian government wants to aid domestic avocado growers
Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Hussein Bashe, on Friday September 10, acknowledged that the price of avocado has increased from Sh1.2 million per ton in 2015 to Sh1.8 million per ton in 2020. He was answering a question from the Special sets MP, Pindi Chana.
In her question, Dr Chana (former High Commissioner to Kenya) wanted to know the government’s plan to connect farmers in the southern region of Njombe region, with foreign and domestic investors and markets.
Bashe said the Ministry of Agriculture has been coordinating the agreement between buyers and processors with farmers through contract farming to ease access to technology, inputs as well as markets. “Through the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT) the Ministry has encouraged two investors (Tanzanice Agrofood Ltd & Olivado Tanzania Ltd) in Njombe and Iringa regions who are connected to smallholder farmers.”
He added that this has enabled the increase in sales of avocado from 3,696 tons in 2015 to 7,190 tons in 2019. In addition, the presence of these companies that assure farmers the market has been a catalyst for increase in production, price and quality of avocados.
Avocados have become Tanzania’s latest green gold, bringing in at least $12 million (Sh27.6 billion) annually, up from zero five years ago. Data from Tanzania’s private sector horticultural apex body, the Tanzania Horticultural Association (Taha), as well as the Avocado Catalogue 2020 report, show that avocado exports jumped from 1,877 tons in 2014 to 9,000 tons in 2019.
