TZ exports hit 26.3tri/-

DODOMA: TANZANIA has registered export earnings of 26.3tri/- over the past year, attributed to continued government efforts to improve the business environment, expand external markets and enhance the competitiveness of locally produced goods.

The government said Tanzania’s trade with foreign markets continued to strengthen in 2025, with export earnings rising to 10,080.9 million US dollars, equivalent to a 16 per cent increase, compared to 8,702.0 million US dollars recorded in 2024. Minister for Industry and Trade, Judith Kapinga, informed the National Assembly yesterday while presenting the ministry’s 137.8bn/- budget estimates for the 2026/27 financial year.

“These achievements are a result of the government’s continued efforts to improve the business environment, expand markets for Tanzanian products and implement strategies to enhance competitiveness in global trade,” she said.

She said the government has continued reducing bureaucracy in export procedures while encouraging production of goods that meet international quality standards. Major export products included raw agricultural commodities such as sesame, tobacco, pigeon peas, wheat, rice, beans, maize, coffee, cotton and avocados.

Other exports included livestock products such as fish, alongside industrial products including gold, cocoa, coal, tiles and iron sheets.

Meanwhile, imports increased by 2.2 per cent to 16.03 billion US dollars in 2025 from 15.68 billion US dollars recorded in 2024.

Kapinga said the increase was largely driven by imports of hightechnology goods and products not produced locally. Imported products included capital goods, motor vehicles, bitumen, iron and steel products, hospital equipment, pharmaceutical products, petroleum and gas, as well as industrial sugar. The minister further said Tanzania’s exports to European Union (EU) markets rose by 37.5 per cent in 2025, increasing from 686.3 million US dollars in 2024 to 943.8 million US dollars.

She attributed the growth to increased participation of Tanzanian traders in the EU market, improved product quality standards and rising demand for organic products. Products exported to the EU included beans, tobacco, fish, avocados, coffee, cocoa, honey, sunflower oil, minerals, tea, flowers, fruits, cotton, vegetables, hides and gemstones.

At the same time, imports from the EU slightly declined by 0.6 per cent to 1.26 billion US dollars in 2025 from 1.27 billion US dollars in 2024. According to Kapinga, the decline resulted from increased domestic production of some goods such as edible oils, plastic products and industrial raw materials.

She said imported goods from the EU mainly included industrial machinery, transport equipment, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, electrical equipment, fertilisers and plastic products. Within the East African Community (EAC), Tanzania exported goods worth 1.26 billion US dollars in 2025 compared to 1.16 billion US dollars in 2024, marking an increase of 8.7 per cent.

The minister said the growth was supported by improved business conditions and increased production of goods with strong demand in regional markets. Imports from EAC countries also rose by 6.8 per cent to 563.1 million US dollars in 2025 from 527.3 million US dollars recorded in 2024.

Products imported from EAC partner states included soap, capital goods, processed foods, nails, shoe polish, milk and transport equipment.

Furthermore, trade within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) also recorded strong growth, with Tanzania’s exports increasing by 19.4 per cent from 2.97 billion US dollars in 2024 to 3.55 billion US dollars in 2025. Imports from SADC countries rose by 6.6 per cent to 837.9 million US dollars compared to 786.4 million US dollars in 2024.

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Imported products included whisky, sunflower seeds, sanitation products, wooden tables, vehicles, chemicals and mixed juice. Kapinga further said exports to key Asian markets, including China, India and Japan, increased by 13.1 per cent from 2.84 billion US dollars in 2024 to 3.21 billion US dollars in 2025. She said the increase was driven by growing demand for products such as sesame, cocoa and avocados.

Major exports to Asian countries included minerals, pulses, cashew nuts, avocados, cotton, tobacco, sesame, cocoa and fish. On the import side, goods imported from Asian countries surged by 83 per cent to 10.09 billion US dollars in 2025 from 5.51 billion US dollars in 2024.

The increase was linked to growing demand for transport and logistics-related products and services. Imported products included vehicles, motorcycles, petroleum and gas products, iron and steel products, medicines and medical equipment, tires and railway wagons.

Kapinga also noted that Tanzania continues to benefit from China’s preferential trade arrangement, under which 98 per cent of Tanzanian products exported to the Chinese market enjoy duty-free access.