In a recent statement by the Tanzania Coffee Board (TCB), Tanzania earned Tshs.180 billion ($79 million) from the sale of over 65,000 tonnes of coffee collected in the 2018/2019 crop season.
The board Director General, Primus Kimaryo said 40,940 tonnes of coffee were sold through the TCB Coffee Exchange, with the remaining 24,583 sold through Direct Coffee Export. Robusta dominated the direct export with 19,399 tonnes constituting 78.9 per cent while 5,183 tonnes of Arabica coffee made 21.1 per cent of the consignment.
Mr. Kimaryo said that although coffee production during the 2018/2019 season was 65,000 tonnes, an increase of 30 per cent from the previous year`s 50,000 tonnes, prices in the world market were not favourable to farmers.
He challenged farmers from across the country to put more emphasis on the production of high quality coffee to fetch good prices on the world market in the future seasons.
Outlining how each coffee producing region fared during the season, Mr. Kimaryo said Kagera led all regions with production of 29,456.9 tonnes, ahead of Ruvuma, Songwe and Kilimanjaro which produced 16,104 tonnes, 10,996 tonnes and 3,135.4 tonnes of coffee respectively.
Other regions each with the quantity of coffee produced are Mbeya with 2,204.8 tonnes, Arusha 1,985.6 tonnes, Kigoma with 1,264 tonnes and Mara produced 199.5 tonnes. Tanga produced 100 tonnes, Njombe with 40.3 tonnes, Iringa 21.7 tonnes, Manyara produced 14 tonnes and Morogoro and Katavi each producing only two tonnes.
Giving projections for the coming coffee buying season, Mr. Kimaryo said the board anticipates production to decline to 50,000 tonnes, with 20,000 tonnes of Robusta and 30,000 tonnes of Arabica coffee. He attributed the production decline to a fluctuating coffee cycle and heavy delayed rainfall season in the Northern Zone.
He further named Japan as the leading consumer of Tanzania`s coffee, accounting for 27 per cent of coffee exports from Tanzania. Germany, Belgium and Italy accounted for 17, 12 and 10 per cent respectively while both Morocco and the United States of America accounted for 6 per cent each. Israel, South Korea, Spain, USSR, India, South Africa and Sweden each consumed two per cent of Tanzania`s coffee.
Also read: Tanzania coffee production to register 43,000 tonnes in 2017/18
