Avocado exports have contributed about US$8.5 million (Tzs 19.5 bn) to national revenues via the markets in France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
Deputy Minister for Agriculture Hussein Bashe has stated that avocados are one of the fastest growing crops; exports of the crop had increased from 3,279 tons in 2015 to 9,000 tons in 2018. “The avocado crop has already been introduced as one of the strategic crops and the ministry is in the early stages of proposing the establishment of Horticultural Crops Authority," he said.
The Deputy Minister added that the Authority would be responsible for managing horticulture crops including avocados to increase productivity and meet the needs of the local, regional and international markets.
To ensure the cost of transportation of horticulture products including avocados is reduced, the deputy minister pointed out that the government would build an Agricultural Logistics Hub on an area of 8 ha in the Export Processing Zone (EPZ) at Kurasini in Dar es Salaam.
According to dailynews.co.tz, this hub will be a One Stop Centre with specialists and infrastructure for cold chain storage before exportation of the crops at affordable prices.