TARIME, MARA: FARMERS from Tarime District in Mara Region, led by their Member of Parliament (MP), Mwita Waitara, have expressed satisfaction following their recent exchange visit to Muleba District that aimed at giving them opportunity to learn about coffee husbandry practices.
Mr Waitara explained that the exchange visit in Muleba positively enabled the farmers from Tarime to learn more on coffee management practices.
“The farmers from Tarime District have significantly benefitted by learning more on coffee husbandry practices. The experience gained will enable them to increase coffee productivity, “he said.
Kagera Region is a major coffee producer with annual production ranging between 40,000-50,000 metric tonnes which accounts to about 50 per cent of the nation’s coffee production.
The coffee business is now through auctioning. The selling of coffee directly from the farms has been banned. Coffee regulations in Tanzania are undergoing major changes to improve farmers’ incomes and extend their role in the supply chain.
The government, in collaboration with other stakeholders including Tanzania Coffee Board (TCB), Cooperative Unions, Tanzania Research Institute (TACRI), Café Africa Tanzania and the private sector, is implementing a five-year strategic plan aimed to increase coffee production from 78,000 metric tonnes to 300,000 metric tonnes come 2025.
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The plan goes in hand with producing 20 million improved coffee seedlings each year. The increase of coffee production in the region has positive impact on farmers’ livelihoods and the national economy.
Coffee production in the region increased from 52,000 tonnes during 2019-2020 to 78,300 metric tonnes during 2022-2023 enabling the farmers to pocket about 96.4bn/-.
Coffee is Tanzania’s largest export crop, contributing significantly to the country’s economy. On average, the country produces 60,000 to 70,000 metric tonnes of coffee annually, comprising about 70 per cent Arabica and 30 percent Robusta.
Tanzania exported 226 million US dollars worth of coffee in 2022, ranking as the 26th largest coffee exporter in the world.
Coffee was the country’s 8th most exported product that year, with its primary markets being Japan (81.2 million US dollars), Italy (21.3 million US dollars), the United States (18.9 million US dollars), Germany (18.1 million US dollars) and South Africa (14.7 million US Dollars).
Between 2021 -2022, Tanzania saw its fastestgrowing export markets in coffee in Japan which grew by 35.1 million US dollars, South Africa by 11.2 million US dollars and the United States by 7.53 million US dollars.
