THE Tanzania Horticultural Association (TAHA) is working with the Tanzania High Commission in the UK along with Trademark Africa (TMA) in a horticulture exports accelerator programme.

 TAHA CEO Dr. Jacqueline Mkindi unveiled this initiative at a press conference here over the weekend, affirming that the move is designed to boost exports to the United Kingdom, thereby securing vital foreign currency.

Startup export firms and seasoned businesses are expected to benefit, as the initiative is focused on ensuring compliance with international standards and facilitating smooth market entry into the UK and other European markets.

This ambitious initiative is aimed at supplementing government efforts to increase horticultural exports, she said, highlighting that the UK market is expansive.

Firms to be enlisted include companies exporting raw or processed horticultural products such as fruits, vegetables, spices, herbs, cut flowers and cuttings. she stated, affirming that the firms have until July 20 to apply for attachment to the new facility.

Key benefits of the program include business-to-business (B2B) engagement, improvements in supply chain and traceability, certification and standards support, capacity building, trade missions and exhibitions, financial linkages, along with official recognition and support from the government, she explained.

London's approval of duty-free exports for horticultural and other commodities that was made in the second quarter of this year is expected to be chart the way to vastly improve export performance, she stated.

On March 17, 2023, President Samia Suluhu Hassan appointed Dr. Mkindi to the Presidential Food and Agriculture Delivery Council (PFADC), widening liaison capacity to stimulate horticultural exports, analysts noted. 

Anthony Chamanga, the TAHA chief development manager, said that Tanzania's horticultural exports to Britain were on an upward curve from 2019 to 2023, reaching 11,520 metric tons valued at $87m. 

Modest growth of 130.75 metric tons was observed in the 2019/2020 period, at 10.8 percent rise, while a surge was visible in the 2020/2021 period where exports rose by 1,169.29 metric tons, or 86.8 percent lift, he said.

The upward trend persisted into 2022, with an additional 396.54 metric tons, or a 15.8 percent increase, and during2022/2023 exports grew by 614.50 metric tons, marking a 21.1 percent uptick, he elaborated. 

Exports nearly doubled during 2020/2021 as it marked the most significant growth, he said, underlining that Tanzania’s horticultural sector has a firm foothold in the UK market.

The country is shipping significant quantities of avocados, cut flowers, bitter gourd and green beans, he said, noting that recent years have exhibited dynamic shifts in export trends, mirroring changes in crop popularity and global demand.

For instance, avocado exports showed remarkable growth, from 947.46 metric tons in 2019, dipping to 851.75 metric tons in 2020, and soared to 2,392.65 metric tons in 2023, he explained, attributing the surge to heightened global health consciousness and improved yields,” Chamanga explained.

Similarly, bitter gourd exports rose from a mere 75 metric tons in 2021 to 340.35 metric tons in 2023, fueled by increasing international demand, he said.

Conversely, rose flower exports plummeted from 256.43 metric tons in 2019 to negligible levels by 2021, while green bean exports dropped from 299.73 metric tons in 2020 to 56.04 metric tons in 2023, signaling a shift away from this crop.

On the brighter side, cut flowers maintained relative stability as exports increased from just 7.76 metric tons in 2019 to 146.18 metric tons in 2020, holding steady through 2023, he added.