Kahawa Festival 2025: Realising lost economic boost hopes

MOSHI: THE Tanzania Coffee Board (TCB) in cooperation with Tanzania coffee stakeholders have organised and staged the Sixth Edition of Kahawa Festival dubbed Kahawa Festival 2025.

Held at the premises of Tanganyika Coffee Curing Company (TCCCo) Limited here at Moshi from October 3rd -5th , this festival witnessed various coffee stakeholders exhibiting what they do while showcasing various products produced in the coffee value chain.

Officiating at the opening of this festival on Friday 3rd October 2025 was the Registrar of Cooperatives in the country, Dr Benson Ndiege who started by paying tributes to all stakeholders for their tireless efforts which has made the dream of staging Kahawa Festival 2025 a reality.

Dr Ndiege called upon farmers across the country to capitalise on opportunities such as being supplied with free coffee seedlings of the new varieties together with free extension services provided to them by the government so as to improve and increase their coffee yields.

He said the said seedlings of the new varieties of coffee currently being distributed to farmers for planting in their farms will give the first harvests after 3-4 years.

“I am aware that the new varieties of both Arabica and Robusta coffee seedlings produces higher yields per unit area, resistant to the coffee deadly disease namely Coffee Berry Disease (CBD) and Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR) for Arabica coffee and Coffee Wilt Disease (CWD) for Robusta coffee.

The said seedlings produce coffee with bigger bean sizes with good flavour, liked by many people across the globe thus always fetching competitive prices in the world market” said the Cooperative Chief.

Citing an example of how such seedlings increase yields he cited Kilimanjaro region where he said in 2020 production was 8,000 tonnes the same increasing by 30 per cent reaching 12,000 tonnes in 2024.

“I call upon Youths to seize this opportunity of producing the new varieties of coffee seedlings later to plant them in their farms and other farms belonging to other farmers” he said adding that farmers across the country through their respective Agricultural & Marketing Cooperative Societies (AMCOS) and through their Cooperative Unions should all utilise the opportunities of planting in their farms the new varieties of both Arabica and Robusta coffee seedlings.

Coming to increasing the rate of local consumption of coffee he calls upon all stakeholders to be up in arms so as to increase the current rate of seven per cent the same to reach 10 per cent in the coming few years.

Earlier when welcoming the Guest of Honor to officiate in opening up this Kahawa Festival 2025 the Chairperson of TCB, Professor Aurelia Kamuzora took time to brief this festival on the role of her organisation in formulating policies and supervising the coffee sector in the country.

Professor Kamuzora said important was the fact that TCB in cooperation with other stakeholders like Tanzania Coffee Research Institute (TaCRI), Cooperative Unions and AMCOS have all embarked on a task of producing the new varieties of both Arabica and Robusta coffee seedlings adding that current statistics shows that production stands at 20 million of such seedlings being produced and distributed to farmers annually.

On his side while addressing participants to this festival, the Director of Coffee Quality Promotion (DCQP) at TCB, Mr Frank Nyalusi said while stakeholders have organised and sponsored this festival this organisation will be coordinating all about this festival.

On what the public should expect he said this festival will have exhibitors from inside and outside the country who will display what they do in the coffee value chain.

“Not only this, this festival will have conference sessions with topics like how to start a coffee shop, coffee health benefits, insights of the country’s domestic consumption of coffee, research development and how to adhere to the European Union regulations on environmental protection versus penetrating the coffee markets in Europe.

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On the main purpose of this festival he said the same envisioned to be a National Coffee Event that attracts both local and international participation’s whereby direct and indirect actors in the coffee value chain builds networks, exchange knowledge, learn new technologies as well as meet potential buyers and sellers of coffee while enjoying a cup of coffee with different tastes, flavour and aroma.

Participants to this festival among others include Tanzania Coffee Board, TaCRI, Tanzania Coffee Association, Karagwe Estate, Karagwe Cooperative Union, Karagwe District Cooperative Union, Cooperative Bank of Tanzania, NMB, CRDB, Rafiki Coffee Limited, Mambo Coffee, Africafe, Postal Corporation, Agriterra Tanzania, Café Africa, HRNS, Minjingu Phosphate, Tanzania Commercial Bank, Tanzania Agricultural Bank, Barristers, Cuppers and Journalists drawn from various Media Houses with offices in Kilimanjaro region.