AFRICADO Ltd, a pioneering Tanzanian avocado company and member of the Tanzania Horticultural Association (TAHA) along with international partners such as Westfalia South Africa Ltd and Mr. Avocado, a Chinese firm, have landed the first ever shipment of Tanzanian avocados in China.

Festus Nkuru, Africado’s certification manager, told a press conference here yesterday that the container had passed Chinese customs inspections without issue, signalling a promising future for Tanzanian avocado exports.

Gaining a foothold in the world's second most populous nation, promising a windfall to growers and exporters was a landmark achievement resulting from joint efforts of the key stakeholders, with the maiden shipment, loaded with 24 tonnes of the Hass avocado variety valued at $18,500 received there.

It was dispatched on October 28, taking upwards of three weeks to arrive in Hong Kong on November 18, for which the manager expressed profound appreciation.

“We are so grateful that our first ever container with avocados has landed at Avocado’s South China ripening and distribution center, ready for distribution across retail supermarkets,” he said.

He paid gratitude to the government and the Tanzania Plant Health and Pesticides Authority (TPHPA), TAHA, and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for facilitating the breakthrough.

This development not only strengthens Africado's position as a leading exporter but also provides significant economic opportunities for local growers, boosting Tanzania's agricultural sector, he said.

“As Tanzania’s largest grower and a pioneer in the avocado industry, Africado Ltd is optimistic about the economic benefits this development will bring to both the company and the country's economy,” the manager declared.

The breakthrough follows the signing of a protocol between Tanzania and China regarding sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) requirements when President Samia Suluhu Hassan was on a state visit to China in August 2022 and then in November last year.

The protocol paved the way for Tanzanian avocados to access China’s vast market, which experts say is driven by demand from China’s growing health-conscious middle class. Avocados, once a rare commodity, have become one of the country’s top imported fruits.

TAHA CEO Dr Jacqueline Mkindi hailed the development, saying it would benefit local farmers and exporters while strengthening bilateral trade ties between the two countries.

Agriculture minister Hussein Bashe came in for praise for his efforts in ensuring Tanzanian producers are put to sanitary and phytosanitary audits and meet the necessary SPS standards for market access.

China’s decision to accept avocados from Tanzania into its market aligns with its broader strategy to increase imports from Africa, a trade rebalancing initiative aimed at addressing imbalances between China and the resource-rich continent.

With a population of over 1.4bn, China is now poised to become Tanzania’s largest export market for avocados, traditionally limited to Europe and the Middle East.

Despite being Africa’s third-largest avocado producer after South Africa and Kenya, Tanzania has struggled to access export markets due to the lack of SPS audits and producer compliance.

The milestone aligns with Tanzania’s national strategy to increase horticultural exports to $2bn annually, up from $420m in the past financial year, creating significant employment opportunities for youth and women along the value chain, by 2030.

Tanzania’s avocado industry is poised for significant growth, with official data showing that in 2023, the country exported 26,826.3 metric tons of avocados, generating upwards of $73million in earnings, while access to the new market promises to accelerate this growth even further.