Tanzania has surpassed its national avocado export target four years ahead of schedule, shipping 52,000 tonnes during the 2025/2026 season against a target of 40,000 tonnes set for 2030, as the crop emerges as an important source of foreign exchange and agricultural investment.
The achievement, announced by Agriculture Minister Daniel Chongolo at the Third National Avocado Stakeholders Conference in Dodoma, reflects rapid expansion in production, stronger market access and increased participation by private-sector players across the value chain.
According to the Cereals and Other Produce Regulatory Authority (COPRA), Tanzania’s avocado exports increased by 237 per cent from 15,432.77 tonnes in 2020/2021 to 52,000 tonnes in 2025/2026. Export earnings rose by 120.4 per cent over the same period, climbing from $44.2 million to $97.2 million.
Domestic production also expanded, increasing from 149,340 tonnes to 203,473 tonnes over the five-year period, a rise of approximately 36.2 per cent. The difference between production growth and export growth suggests that the industry has expanded its ability to channel a greater volume of fruit into international markets, although the figures alone do not establish how much of the increase came from improved productivity, additional planted areas or changes in market access.
Chongolo attributed the performance to collaboration between government and private businesses in improving cultivation, quality assurance, extension services, logistics and access to overseas buyers. Tanzania has expanded its export destinations to include China, the Netherlands, India, the United Arab Emirates, France and South Africa, diversifying opportunities beyond its traditional markets.
The government is now seeking to sustain that growth by raising productivity and improving the infrastructure that connects farms to exporters. Under its longer-term agricultural transformation agenda, it aims to increase average avocado yields from six tonnes per hectare to 10.8 tonnes per hectare.
Support measures include the registration of 87,081 avocado growers, the establishment of 169 agricultural groups and the deployment of 50 specialised extension officers under the Building Better Tomorrow (BBT) initiative. During the 2025/2026 season, the government subsidised 129,986 clean planting materials and plans to distribute another 500,000 seedlings in 2026/2027.
Infrastructure is also receiving attention. The government has allocated TSh3 billion (approximately $1.2 million) for 20 regional collection centres across 13 local government authorities, alongside plans to drill 39 wells in the avocado-producing areas of Njombe, Mufindi and Iringa. The collection centres are intended to improve aggregation and handling, while better water access could support production in areas where irrigation is needed.
For the 2026/2027 season, COPRA plans to focus on operationalising collection and storage centres, improving trade transparency and enforcing quality standards. These priorities are important because expanding exports requires more than producing additional fruit: avocados must be harvested at the right maturity, graded consistently, handled carefully and transported quickly enough to preserve quality.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has also identified orchard management, planting material, post-harvest handling and packhouse capacity as areas requiring attention across Tanzania’s avocado value chain. Its work with national stakeholders includes improving fruit uniformity, harvest timing, nursery quality and processing efficiency.
With the 2030 export target already exceeded, the next phase is less about achieving a volume milestone and more about making growth sustainable. The government is looking to expand value addition, attract further private investment and ensure that farmers benefit from stronger international demand.
NBF Insight
Tanzania’s avocado industry has demonstrated that export targets can be overtaken when production, market access and private-sector participation expand together. The increase from 15,433 tonnes to 52,000 tonnes in exports, alongside earnings growth to US$97.2 million, signals a significant change in the crop’s commercial importance.
But exceeding an export target does not automatically mean farmers are earning more or that the value chain is operating efficiently. Export growth must translate into reliable farmgate prices, lower post-harvest losses, better access to quality planting material and more predictable markets.
Infrastructure will be central to the next stage. If collection centres, storage facilities, roads and cold-chain logistics fail to keep pace with production, a larger harvest could bring greater losses and pressure on prices. Expanding domestic processing could also create markets for fruit that does not meet fresh-export specifications.
Tanzania has achieved its volume target early. The next measure of success will be whether it can increase productivity, retain more value within the country, and turn export growth into sustained income and employment across the avocado value chain.
