By Zelly Manda
The Tanzania Plant Health and Pesticides Authority in association with the General Administration of Customs of China have rolled out procedures through which local fruit growers can now ship three types of avocados to the far east country.
Tanzania has finally accomplished the required procedures needed to make the country eligible to export and sell three varieties of its locally grown, fresh avocados in the Chinese markets.
An official statement from the Ministry of Agriculture, has just informed avocado growers, producers and exporters in the country, that Tanzania has completed the bilateral procedures to that effect.
Dar was allowed to open avocado markets in China, from as early as mid-August, 2024, according to the Director General of Tanzania Plant Health and Pesticides Authority (TPHPA), Prof Joseph Ndunguru.
And though avocados from Tanzania are now permitted to be exported and traded in China, there are still procedures that producers need to undertake before shipping the buttery fruits to Guangzhou.
In order for local producers to export avocados to China, they must be registered with the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) through the Arusha-based Tanzania Plant Health and Pesticides Authority (TPHPA).
According to Prof Ndunguru, avocado exporters must also comply with the other requirements such as ensuring the varieties of their consignment are Hass, Fuerte, and Pinkerton, types of avocados.
Also, the production farms, pack houses, and fumigation companies must register with the Tanzania Plant Health and Pesticides Authority (TPHPA) and obtain a traceability code for exporter identification.
The other requirement is that all farms registered to export avocados to China must adhere to best agricultural practices and integrated pest management to control quarantine pests such as fruit flies, false codling moths, and mealy bugs.
Again, the processing, packaging, storage, and transportation steps must comply with all the requirements and procedures outlined in the protocol signed between the two countries, that is China and Tanzania but TPHPA will manage this side of the implementation.
The Chinese Market is already enjoying several food products from Tanzania including coffee, cashew nuts, sesame, soybean and seafood products.
During the State Visit to China by President Samia Suluhu Hassan in 2023, Dar and Beijing signed a Protocol of Phytosanitary Requirements for the Export of Fresh Avocado Fruits from Tanzania to China.
Already Tanzania is exporting avocados to Netherlands (4.5 tons), France (1.8 tons), Kenya (1.8 tons), the United Kingdom (1.7 tons), the United Arab Emirates (0.7 tons), South Africa (0.4 tons) and other countries (1.35) tons.