AfricaPress-Tanzania: THE government has praised a local private sector for its painstaking efforts to nurture the horticultural sector from scratch to a multi-million dollars’ industry.
Visiting Tanzania Horticultural Association (TAHA) headquarters in Arusha city recently, the Minister of Agriculture, Japhet Hasunga praised the organisation as a focal point in the government’s latest ambition to groom the horticulture industry to its full potential.
“Initially, I thought TAHA was just a small institution, but I am surprised to learn that this is a big, well-structured and vested institution with a capacity to deliver like the Ministry of Agriculture,” he pointed out.
In the course, Mr Hasunga pledged to work closely with TAHA and tap its vast skills and experience as the government seeks to improve the horticultural sector and raise the national economy, especially through the Agriculture Sector Development selected Programme II (ASDP II).
Way back in 2004, when TAHA was established, there were less than 50 commercial horticultural companies in the country with insignificant production volumes for export markets.
Now 16 years later, TAHA had brought together over four million both large-scale, medium and smallholders farmers into a single bloc fortified by a common set of business oriented interests.
As a result, the horticultural industry has turned to become the growth driver of the entire Tanzania’s agricultural sector, registering an annual growth rate of 12 per cent.
Equally, its contribution in the overall agrarian exports value has grown by 30 per cent on average and is poised for leaps and bounds; thanks to TAHA through financial support from USAID.
It is understood that the success story of TAHA to shape the country’s horticulture industry would certainly be incomplete without the mention of USAID for it is the leading development partner.
Other key partners of TAHA in developing horticulture industry include SIDA, UNDP, TRIAS and FFD.
As of now, the sub-sector earns the economy over $700 million annually, up from $64 million in 2004, making horticulture a nascent undertaking to watch in terms of creating jobs and wealth for youth and women.
Minister Hasunga, therefore, bought an idea of establishing the Horticultural Development Authority (HAD) to spearhead the rapid growth of the promising industry.
He also revealed that plans are well underway for the government to purchase a cargo plane to ease exports of horticulture and fish industries.
“We are also going to fast-track protocol with China to pave way for our local avocado exporters to access the Beijing niche market,” Mr Hasunga noted.
Data from China Customs indicates that Beijing’s avocado import value stands at $105 million per annum, presenting a huge potential market for local growers.
However, given the stringent phytosanitary issues that restrict imports of local avocados into China, local exporters have never been able to access this lucrative market, thanks to lack of bilateral arrangement between the two countries.
The process demands that Tanzania government declares ‘quarantine pests’ available for the China authority assessment before they open up the market for local avocados.
The same information should also be presented to AQSIQ, the relevant authority in China where the Beijing market access applications are processed.
On her part, TAHA Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Jacqueline Mkindi applauded the government for its political will to help support the horticultural industry.
“We, at TAHA, are so grateful to our government for being real supportive whenever we cry out. We have seen the government easing process of pesticide registration and now plans to establish HAD, purchase of cargo flight, among others,” Dr Mkindi noted.
However, she cited Kenya, Costa Rica, Mexico, Rwanda and Egypt as some of the most successful countries in terms of horticulture development, courtesy to their bold decisions to have horticultural development authorities.
