Tanzanian mangoes are hot cake in UAE - lobby

The Association of Mango Growers (Amagro) has said that Tanzania mangoes are now on high demand in Dubai and other foreign markets owing to the fact that it is an off season for the largest producers such as China and India.

Speaking in an interview with The Guardian Tuesday Amagro agronomist Hamad Mkopi said that Tanzanian mangoes are now selling well in all markets abroad including the largest one in Dubai.

Mkopi also said that when India and China are in off season, the market is more open to all countries that are producing mangoes including Tanzania.

“I was in Dubai last week; and I can assure you that Tanzanian mangoes are highly demanded by many businessmen. We are now selling in bulk in all big markets abroad. With this advantage, we are making up strategies to ensure that mango farming becomes a commercial and that the crop is grown in all regions countrywide,” he said.

Mkopi also said that India which produces 50 percent of all mangoes worldwide and China are off-market from November to April, making it an advantage for Tanzania which is located under the equatorial zone.

“China and India which are the largest producers of mangoes are located above the equatorial zone, therefore their season is between March and August, meaning currently their fruits are off-market,” he said.

He said: “We need to conquer the market while the big producers are off season. To achieve this, we need to make sure that mango becomes a commercial fruit.”

To take advantage of China and India during the off season, he said that Amagro has initiated a programme to ensure that mango farmers are using the best agronomic practices which are global standards as well as empowering growers to use best method of propagation for seedling.

“Mango growers are now trained in good packaging skills, customer services, controlling pest and diseases, all to ensure that the crop conquers the world market,” he said.

He noted: “Amagro vision is to increase Tanzania market share in the global market by over 100 percent by producing high quality mangoes hence improving farmers’ livelihood.”

He went on to say that they provide training and educate members on the best agronomic practices (GAP) so as to ensure production of highest quality mangoes.

“We want to ensure proper land use and conservation of the environment, develop appropriate mango production and accessible processing information resource, and facilitate availability of the recommended inputs and other support services such as extension, research and crop marketing,” he said.

He underscored that Amagro is also mobilising members savings, loans, grants and guarantees to establish revolving loan fund as a source of working capital for members.

“Market access is key component of any meaningful business, that’s why Amagro is facilitating development of knowledge and understanding of the market for mangoes which is lacking among members at the moment,” he said.

He said since production is expected to double in the next two years, market development should focus on increasing the domestic consumption while developing potential for export market.”

He revealed that Amagro is also providing mango value additional trainings which are designed to help members realise other positive effects of adding values to mangoes.