Why Tanzania Needs to Invest More In Avocado Production

For years in Tanzania, avocado has been a fruit for home consumption. But in recent years things have changed. According to a 2019 study by the Tanzania Investment Centre and the East Africa Trade and Investment Hub, avocado has transformed to an important earner for Tanzania. The report notes that there is a huge avocado's potential to fill up the edible oils' gap in Tanzania, which stands at U.S.$294 million. Investing in the fruit for edible oil production can go a long way to slash the 320,000 tonnes of annual cooking oil import. And for forex earnings, the sky is the limit. Neighbour Kenya is ranked 8th globally in avocado production and in the first three months of 2021, it exported 26,481 tonnes of avocado. A brochure by Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania notes that in 2017, Kenya was the 6th largest exporter of avocados by volume and Tanzania was ranked the fruit's 20th largest supplier.