Arusha — As the Coffee market in Tanzania is projected to grow by 7.78 per cent (2023-2028) resulting in a market volume of 34.25 million US dollars in 2028, Tanzania Coffee Board (TCB) says the African market alone is potential.
TCB Director General, Primus Kimaryo said at the weekend that the government plans to explore the African market rather than the European market saying the market in Africa is lucrative.
"We want to see all our produce being sold in Africa because the market is huge," he said.
He said by giving the example that Algeria and South Africa were consuming coffee from Italy and Germany saying it's time for Tanzania to grab those markets.
"Why do we think of the European market since there is high demand for coffee in Morocco and Tunisia and other countries in Africa?" he questioned.
He was commenting on the African coffee summit which is taking place in Kampala from yesterday until Thursday this week.
The summit aims to foster discussions on strategies to enhance coffee production through value addition. The event presents a significant opportunity for Tanzania to further its position in the global coffee market and explore avenues for boosting coffee exports.
"The summit provides a platform for the country to not only engage with fellow coffee-producing nations but also seek avenues to expand our coffee market reach," he said.
He said Kagera Region alone last year produced an average of 40,000 kilogrammes of clean coffee mostly robusta.
Robusta coffee beans have low acidity and high bitterness and are mainly used in instant coffee, espresso and as filler in ground coffee blends. Robusta coffee grows at lower altitudes in most of Kagera's green farms.
More than 90 per cent of the country's output comes from small farmers rather than estates, employing 400,000 households and directly affecting more than 2.4 million inhabitants.
Coffee is the second most valuable agricultural export after tobacco.
Tanzanian coffee was purchased by the majority of Japanese (22 per cent), Italians (19 per cent), and Americans (12 per cent). Germany was once the major customer of Tanzanian coffee, but with enhanced marketing and quality control, Japan and the United States have begun to purchase the lion's share of exports.
