Organic farming opens new opportunities
DAR ES SALAAM: THE growing demand for organic products is creating investment opportunities across Tanzania’s agricultural value chain, but greater financing is needed to expand production, inputs, processing, certification and farmer aggregation.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with the ‘Daily News’, Tanzania Organic Agriculture Movement (TOAM) Senior Projects Officer Brigitha Massawe said organic agriculture should be viewed not only as a means of producing safe food but also as an economic opportunity.
She said the market was expanding locally and internationally, with tea, spices, avocados, cotton, sesame, fruits and vegetables among products with strong potential.
“The second benefit is economic. The market for organic products is growing rapidly, both locally and internationally,” Ms Massawe said.
However, she said limited farmer capacity to produce and aggregate sufficient volumes remained a major constraint despite growing demand.
“Sometimes market demand is greater than the capacity of our farmers to produce and aggregate the quantities required,” she said.
Ms Massawe said investment in cooperatives, farmer organisations and producer groups could help small-scale farmers increase production, aggregate produce and access larger markets.
She said organic farming could also reduce production costs by enabling farmers to use locally available resources to produce inputs such as organic fertilisers and pesticides.
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Indigenous seeds also offer potential because some varieties are better adapted to local conditions and can help farmers cope with pests, diseases and climate change.
“We encourage farmers to preserve their indigenous seeds because they are often well adapted to local conditions and climate change,” she said.
Ms Massawe said improved soil health could raise productivity, reduce dependence on costly external inputs and improve profitability. Shortages of organic inputs, however, remain a constraint and an opportunity for investors.
Some entrepreneurs are producing organic fertilisers at larger scale, while others have registered products with the Tanzania Fertiliser Regulatory Authority (TFRA).
Many producers remain small-scale and lack capital to complete registration and expand operations.
“Demand is greater than supply,” Ms Massawe said, noting that some registered products sell quickly due to rising demand.
Beyond inputs, she identified opportunities in processing, packaging, value addition and market development.
She said Tanzania could tap international markets as demand increases for organically produced goods, but investment is needed in farmer education, certification and market linkages.
