Tanzania's coffee industry is gearing up for a significant transformation as the government reaffirms its commitment to achieving an unprecedented annual production target of 300,000 metric tonnes by the year 2025/26. The announcement was made by Prof Aurelia Kamuzora, Chairperson of the Tanzania Coffee Board (TCB), who highlighted the tireless efforts being made to reach this ambitious goal.
Addressing the challenges faced by the coffee sector, Prof Kamuzora acknowledged the hurdles, including falling global coffee prices, leading to decreased local production and causing some farmers to abandon their coffee crops. Additionally, shortages of inputs, diseases, ageing coffee trees, and declining soil fertility in specific coffee-growing regions have posed significant challenges. The impact of climate change and the trend among the youth to move away from coffee farming due to low returns have further complicated the situation.
Historically, Tanzania's coffee production has hovered around 50,000 tonnes annually since the 1960s, reaching a peak of 60,000 tonnes at one point. However, recent years have witnessed an uptick in production, with a record 85,000 metric tonnes achieved last year, according to TCB. Despite these strides, the government is determined to quadruple the production figure within the next few years.
Prof Kamuzora emphasized that overcoming these challenges is crucial to attaining the government's ambitious target. She assured that the TCB and allied institutions in the sector would maintain rigorous quality control of coffee beans in the local market. Efforts are underway to shield coffee growers from the impact of fluctuating prices in the global market, ensuring that coffee remains a leading cash crop in Tanzania.
Addressing the issue of inputs, Prof Kamuzora noted the global shift towards organic coffee, which is increasingly preferred in the crop’s value chain. These efforts align with the annual Coffee Expo, currently being held at the national level at the Coffee Curing Plant grounds, where crop farmers and dealers are sensitized to the importance of promoting cultivation, processing, and marketing of coffee beans.
Francis Kajiru, Acting Director General of TCB, affirmed the board's ongoing support for smallholder farmers, empowering them with best practices to enhance the quality of their coffee beans, ensuring they fetch higher prices in the global market. Additionally, Dennis Mahulu, Chair of the Coffee Stakeholders’ Platform, highlighted the strategic approach of promoting local coffee consumption. Despite being a significant coffee producer, only seven percent of the beans grown in Tanzania are consumed domestically. Initiatives to promote coffee drinking in designated cafes and eateries within cities, municipalities, towns, and townships are actively underway.
Globally, October 1st has been designated as International Coffee Drinking Day, an occasion Tanzania observed for the first time in 2021. With increasing production since 2019/2020, Tanzania's coffee industry is on a trajectory of growth, characterized by innovation, sustainability, and the determination of its coffee farmers.