Avocado is now a staple food in many countries. Munching on avocados, which are crammed with monounsaturated fat (the good kind of fat), is currently a huge trend around the world. The avocado has recently claimed the top spot in Tanzania’s fruit exports.
Avocados in Tanzania have come a long way. From being used to feed animals to becoming a valuable cash crop earning the country over US1 million dollars each year in export earnings. The fame of avocados in Tanzania has risen rapidly because of major shifts in ideas about nutrition and health.
Avocado Season in Tanzania
The peak harvest season for avocados in Tanzania is between June and August. Especially the supply of Fuerte avocados decreases in September to November before picking up slightly from January to March. Avocados start to ripen after picking unless kept in atmosphere controlled room. The fruit ripens faster in warmer conditions.
There is growing demand for avocados in Tanzania and it is even outpacing supply. It is for this reason that Tanzania imports avocado from Burundi during its off-peak season in September and October.
Avocado Price per kg in Tanzania
The average price per kilo for avocados in Tanzania is between TZS700 and TZS1,000. The wholesale price for avocado is from TZS200-TZS350 in a batch of 50 fruits. The retail price is from TZS350-500 per fruit.
Local avocado varieties are preferred by consumers in the domestic market for the simple reason that their larger in size and have high fat content. Yet, export-oriented varieties are sold at higher prices. The price for commercial avocado varieties such as Hass and Fuerte is about TZS1000 per kilo while the price for local varieties is about TZS600-TZS700 per kilo.
Avocado Price in Tanzania
Avocados produced by smallholder farmers in Tanzania are sold locally in four different ways. But the two main ways are:
- Farmers sell the produce directly to wholesalers or vendors who come from the same region or a distant region. It is more reliable since they are able to sell a large volume of avocados within a short period of time.
- Farmers sell the produce to wholesalers and vendors through middlemen. They negotiate the price with the middlemen.
The biggest domestic markets for avocados grown in Tanzania are found in Dar es Salaam Region. Avocados are sold in smaller quantities in almost all smaller markets around Tanzania. Avocados destined for the local market are mainly from:
- Kilimanjaro Region (Hai, Rombo, Siha Districts)
- Mbeya Region (Rungwe District)
- Kagera Region (Karagwe, Muleba Districts)
- Tanga Region (Lushoto District)
- Morogoro Region (Morogoro District)
Just like many agricultural products in Tanzania, buying and selling of avocados is usually done with traditional units. At the farm gate, avocados are sold using buckets (20 liter) and a sack can hold up to seven or eight buckets. A typical sack can carry 450-500 small size fruits or 200 large size fruits. Avocados in Tanzania are sold in 90kg-120kg bags.
During peak harvest season, the price of avocados in Tanzania is relatively low due to high competition in the market. But during off-peak season, supply of the fruit declines pushing up prices in the market.
At peak supply season, the average price of a 90kg bag of avocados ranges from TZS40,000-TZS80,000. During off-peak season, the average price of a 90kg bag of avocados ranges from TZS60,000-TZS110,000.
Avocado Business in Tanzania
Here are some challenges facing avocado business in Tanzania:
- A lot of wastage during harvesting and post-harvest handling leading to high losses.
- The domestic avocado market is not organized and so players in the value chain seek to maximize their own returns at the cost of the entire value chain.