Tanzania’s avocado exports reached 52,000 tonnes in the 2025/2026 season, surpassing the national 2030 target of 40,000 tonnes four years early and earning USD 97.2 million.
The data was released recently by the Cereals and Other Produce Regulatory Authority (COPRA) at the Third National Avocado Stakeholders Meeting in Dodoma, which reviewed progress in the sector and set priorities for the 2026/2027 financial year.
Export volumes rose by 237% from 15,432.77 tonnes recorded in the 2020/2021 season, marking more than a threefold increase over a period of five years.
Foreign exchange earnings from avocado exports grew by 120.4% over the same period, up from USD 44.2 million in 2020/2021.
National avocado production increased by 36.24%, from 149,340 tonnes to 203,473 tonnes, which means the exported share of output rose from about 10.3% to about 25.6%.
Tanzanian avocados now reach buyers in China, the Netherlands, India, the United Arab Emirates, France, and South Africa, while the government has been improving transport facilities and cold-chain logistics to strengthen the competitiveness of exporters.
The Minister for Agriculture, Daniel Chongolo, said the government distributed 129,986 avocado seedlings in the 2025/2026 season and plans to distribute 500,000 more in 2026/2027, nearly four times this season’s volume.
The government also recruited 50 young extension officers through the Building a Better Tomorrow (BBT) programme and supported 169 farmer groups during the 2025/2026 season to raise productivity.
Europe accounted for about 40% of avocado exports and India about 30%, followed by the Middle East at 19%, according to Tanzania Horticultural Association (TAHA) data.
China opened its market to Tanzanian Hass, Fuerte, and Pinkerton avocados in September 2024, following a phytosanitary protocol signed between the two countries in 2022.
Horticulture generated USD 569.3 million in exports in 2024, ahead of tobacco at USD 517.1 million and cashew nuts at USD 422.8 million, according to Bank of Tanzania data, and the government targets USD 2 billion in annual horticulture exports by 2030.
On 28 April 2026 in Dodoma, Chongolo presented a 2026/27 agriculture budget projecting avocado output of 235,000 tonnes and an export volume equal to the 2030 target.
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