Regional Markets

Regional Markets for Local Development
logistical services, such as cargo consolidation, airline bookings, trucking of produce,
clearing and forwarding of horticultural perishables.
Promotion
TAHA serves as a champion of Tanzania’s horticulture industry abroad, and actively
seeks out FDI opportunities with international funding partners and private financiers.
It showcases Tanzanian produce at international fairs, engages in direct marketing, and
designs websites, brochures and other promotional materials. FDI opportunities have
been explored in fruit processing, seed breeding and other capital-intensive operations.
TAHA has developed an information dissemination system to provide members and
other stakeholders with updated information about local and regional market trends,
production volumes, policy issues, etc. TAHA also engages in direct promotion of its
members’ produce, for example, by distributing samples to hotels and supermarkets
chains and negotiating prices.
The horticulture value chain
TAHA primarily promotes the following horticultural commodities: flowers, fruits,
vegetables, vegetables seeds and spices. Plans for expansion during the 2012–2015
period include the addition of roots and tubers, i.e. Irish potatoes and sweet potatoes.
Most smallholder farmers are involved in one of the two strands in the vegetables value
chain: high volume products (tomatoes, onions, carrots etc.) or high value products
(French beans, baby corn, garden peas etc.). The produce is sold on three primary markets:
the local and national market in Tanzania, the regional export market in East
Africa, and the European export market. The Tanzanian local and national market is
concentrated around key wholesale distribution centres (like Kariakoo wholesale market,
Kisutu retail market for fruits and vegetables) and retailers or customer with smaller
distribution chains (like supermarkets, local chains or hotels). In addition to the capital
Dar es Salaam, other important cities with sizable markets include Arusha, Moshi,
Mwanza, Mbeya and Morogoro. Farmers also supply vegetable processors—like Darsh
Industries, Dabaga, and S.S. Bakhresa (Azam)—who further process vegetables into
value-added products (tomato paste, chilli paste etc.).
There are two main export markets, the nearby regional one in the East African
Community (EAC), and the distant European market. In addition to the member countries
of the EAC, Tanzanian vegetables are also exported to the Comoros and Southern
Sudan. The produce that reaches the regional markets mainly consists of onions, tomatoes,
African egg plant and okra. The main European market is found among the
member states of the European Unions, primarily in north-western Europe (Sweden,
Denmark and the Netherlands) and the UK. The produce most commonly exported to
this market includes French beans, peas, baby corn, snow peas, chillies and cauliflower.
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