Avocados thrive in many parts of Tanzania, and there might be a possibility of using it to free Tanzanians from abject poverty and improve their nutritional values. Mbeya, Njombe, Songwe, Iringa, Tanga, Arusha, Kilimanjaro, Kigoma, Kagera, Katavi and Morogoro are popular regions for avocado production in the land.
According to a report by the National Bureau of Statistics, 19,449 tons of avocados were produced in 2016/17. The Tanzania Private Sector Foundation (TPSF) says in its report that 5,551 tons of Tanzanian avocados worth $8.5 million were traded in Europe, Africa and Asia in 2018. Different sources show that the value of avocado exports from Tanzania in 2019 had increased eight-fold compared to the value recorded in 2013. The trend strengthened Tanzania's market share from 0.1 percent to 0.4 percent, with the International Trade Centre (ITC) commending the move.
Rungwe Avocado Limited and Africado Limited jointly produced a total of 5,000 tons with small scale farmers dishing a small part of it. Poor avocado production by Tanzanian farmers denies them prerequisite benefit from the fast-growing sub-sector.
A fruits researcher at the Tanzania Agriculture Research Institute (Tari-Uyole) in Mbeya Region, Daud Mbongo, said the crop could be grown all over the country: "It is a crop that thrives in all regions of the country including the Coast and Dar es Salaam regions provided the water table isn't close and its soil doesn't allow water retention," he told allafrica.com.
"Kenya is second in avocado production in the continent behind South Africa, while Tanzania is third. However, most avocado exported by the neighbouring country are purchased from the Tanzanian market," he said, adding. "Some changes need to be made if Tanzania is to fully utilise its potential in the avocado business."