Tabora Region onion glut holds Dar prices

DAR ES AALAAM: A bumper supply of onions from Tabora has helped keep prices in Dar es Salaam remarkably stable over the past three months, offering rare relief to retailers and consumers alike in a market often prone to sharp fluctuations.

Traders say the unexpected influx triggered by reduced demand from Tanzania’s traditional export destinations Uganda and Comoros have maintained wholesale prices at around 150,000/- per 100 kilogrammes sack since June.

However, with the Tabora harvest season drawing to a close, many warn that prices could climb as high as 2,000/- per kilogramme from currently 1,500/- in the coming weeks unless fresh supplies from other regions step in.

A wholesale onion trader at Mabibo market, Mr Hamza Kaoneka, said the influx of onions from Tabora had helped maintain stable prices.

“Usually, Tabora exports a large quantity of onions to Uganda, but this year Uganda had a large onion harvest of its own, which led to increased supply in the country,” he said.

He added that Comoros traders, who normally take a lot of onions from Tanzania once their local season is over, had not bought as much this year due to a bumper harvest in Madagascar.

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Dar es Salaam receives about 100,000 kilogrammes of onions per week, distributed to retail markets around the city. Retail trader at Mabibo market, Ms Angela Mgaya said onions from Dodoma were preferred for their quality.

“Although we buy onions from regions like Moshi, Njombe, Tabora and Tanga, the ones from Dodoma are much preferred due to their quality,” she said.

Mr Sadiki Bakari, a truck driver, said transport costs to Dar es Salaam range from 10,000/- to 12,000/- per 100 kg sack from Dodoma and Moshi, 15,000/- from Tabora and 22,000/- from Njombe. Mwenge trader, Ms Rachel Francis said onion prices may rise next month once the Tabora harvest period ends.

“The price of onions may rise up to 2,000/- per kg instead of 1,500/- since the harvest season in Tabora will be over at the end of this month,” she said.

An onion retail trader at Mwenge, Mwanahamisi Juma, said this year’s onion supply from Tabora helped ensure availability and affordability in Dar es Salaam.

“This year’s harvest from Tabora has somehow eased the availability of onions in Dar es Salaam since the price is reasonable, unlike in other months such as October and November,” she said.

According to the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) in 2023, Tanzania exported 4.57 million US dollars of Onions, making it the 59th largest exporter of Onions (out of 170) in the world. During the same year, onions were the 123rd most exported product (out of 1,018) in the country.

In 2023, the main destinations of Tanzania’s Onions exports were: Uganda (3.85 million US dollars), Germany (194,000 US dollars), Denmark (175, 000 US dollars), United Arab Emirates (77, 100 US dollars) and United Kingdom (70,500 US dollars).