Sisal

Sisal is one of Tanzania's prioritized commodities under the Agriculture Master Plan 2050, which targets raising regional and international exports of priority crops to USD 6 billion.

Sisal sits among the country's strategic cash crops alongside cotton, cashew, coffee, and other prioritized commodities under the national agricultural transformation agenda.

The crop is identified by the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) as a flagship investment opportunity, with priority placed on commercial farming, processing, and export facilitation across Tanzania's agricultural corridors.

Sisal in Tanzania's Prioritized Commodities List

Sisal is explicitly listed by the Ministry of Agriculture as one of the prioritized commodities under the Agriculture Master Plan 2050.

The Master Plan targets a tenfold increase in processing of specific commodities through the development of warehouses and market linkages.

It also aims to raise regional and international exports of prioritized crops, including sisal, to USD 6 billion.

Alongside sisal, the priority list covers fruits (avocado and banana), spices (cloves and potatoes), vegetables (cassava), cotton, cashew, coffee, maize, paddy, sorghum, wheat, sunflower, sesame, soybeans, kidney beans and other pulses, poultry, red meat, dairy, fodder, and aquaculture.

Sisal in Tanzania's Export Profile

Sisal is among the principal Tanzanian commodities driving the country's export earnings.

Around 44% of Tanzania's exports, comprising minerals, tourism, coffee, cashew nuts, cotton, sisal, tobacco, tea, and cloves, are destined for Switzerland, India, South Africa, China, and Kenya^[3].

Over 73% of Tanzania's trade is concentrated among ten countries: China, Switzerland, India, South Africa, the UAE, Kenya, the DRC, the United States, Comoros, and Vietnam^[3].

This positions sisal within a high-value export basket with diversified destination markets across both Asia and Africa.

Trade Bloc Performance and Market Access

Tanzania's broader export sector, which includes sisal among its leading crops, recorded strong growth in 2024 across regional and international trade blocs.

Export values reached USD 3,946.76 million under the AfCFTA, USD 2,968 million within the SADC, and USD 1,163.8 million for the EAC^[2].

In Asia, major markets including China, India, Japan, Singapore, and the UAE accounted for USD 2,840.3 million.

Exports to the European Union stood at USD 686.3 million, while 2023 shipments to the United States under AGOA reached USD 85.4 million.

The recent implementation of new US tariffs places Tanzania in the lowest bracket, subject to a 10% duty, positioning the country relatively well compared to other African nations facing rates of 15% to 30%.

Policy Framework for Sisal

Agriculture Master Plan 2050

Sisal is anchored in the Agriculture Master Plan 2050, which sets out the long-term transformation agenda for Tanzania's agricultural sector.

The Plan targets improved access to markets for farmers, a tenfold expansion of processing capacity, and exports of USD 6 billion across prioritized commodities.

Agriculture Growth Corridor of Tanzania (AGCOT)

To accelerate implementation of the Master Plan, the Ministry of Agriculture introduced the Agriculture Growth Corridor of Tanzania (AGCOT) initiative in 2025.

AGCOT builds on the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT), launched in 2010 as a public-private partnership to transform Tanzania's agricultural sector by promoting investments in agriculture and related infrastructure.

AGCOT covers Tanzania's Central Zone, Southern Zone, Mtwara Zone, and Northern Zone.

It is designed to strengthen agricultural production and productivity, improve access to domestic and international markets, enhance capital access, promote crop value addition, and facilitate the availability of agricultural inputs.

The initiative targets a USD 100 billion agricultural GDP, USD 20 billion in net exports, and 10% annual sector growth by 2050.

Investment Opportunities in Sisal

The Ministry of Agriculture lists sisal among the commodities identified for investment, alongside edible vegetable oil seeds (sesame, sunflower, palm oil, and soya beans), maize, rice, cassava, legumes (pigeon peas, lentils), horticultural crops (grapes, cloves, cut flowers, and avocado), cashew nuts, cotton, and pyrethrum^[1].

Priority investment areas applicable to sisal include commercial farming of strategic crops across the agricultural corridors.

Productive infrastructure represents a further opportunity, including irrigation systems and water harvesting facilities that support sisal cultivation in semi-arid zones.

Supply and local manufacturing of inputs and farm machinery are flagged as core areas for investor participation.

Post-harvest facilities such as pack houses, cold storage, and warehouses are prioritized to reduce losses and enable the targeted tenfold increase in commodity processing.

Agro-processing facilities, together with export facilitation through auctions, logistics, and crop hubs, complete the value chain investment menu for sisal.

The geographic coverage of AGCOT across the Central, Southern, Mtwara, and Northern Zones provides multiple corridor-based entry points for sisal estate development, decortication, and fiber processing investments.

Last Update: May 2026

References

1. https://www.kilimo.go.tz/uploads/documents/sw-1747227277-Agriculture%20Annual%20Report%202023%20-%202024%20compressed.pdf (Guide reference #72)
2. https://www.viwanda.go.tz/uploads/documents/en-1747115028-hotuba_online_compressed.pdf (Guide reference #129)
3. https://www.viwanda.go.tz/uploads/documents/en-1722423611-National%20Trade%20Policy%202003%20Edition%202023_compressed.pdf (Guide reference #133)