ARUSHA, Tanzania, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania will soon start selling its processed coffee in South Africa as the country encourages exporting processed coffee products instead of raw beans.
Adolf Mkenda, Permanent Secretary of Tanzania's Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, said Tuesday that the Tanzania Trade Development Authority (TANTRADE) in collaboration with Tanzania Private Sector Foundation (TPSF) have started working on the modalities that will make Tanzanian goods including coffee penetrate into the South African markets.
This is a result of the recent agreements made by Tanzanian and South African presidents -- John Magufuli and Jacob Zuma -- on the need to encourage bilateral business.
Mkenda encouraged Tanzanian coffee processors to offer products that meet international standards.
"We're losing billions of Tanzanian shillings when selling raw coffee abroad. A cup of coffee in London, UK and elsewhere in the world is much more expensive compared to what we've been selling. As government, we're determined to change the trend by selling processed coffee. This will benefit coffee growers and all people in the value chain," said Mkenda.
Edwin Rutageruka, TANTRADE acting Director General, said the East African nation produces one of the best coffee beans in the world, and TANTRADE will distribute more coffee processing machines in Tanzania so that more people can drink coffee produced locally.
Coffee is Tanzania's largest export crop, whose production averages between 30,000-40,000 tonnes each year. A total of 90 percent of the nation's coffee farms are smallholders, and there are approximately 270,000 workers in the coffee industry.
