He urged TAHA to work together with his office to unlock the potential berries market there, an additional reason to smile for local farmers and exporters. Available data indicates that berry and other fruit imports in Israel stood at $282m last year, while overall, total imports show a rising trend since 2019, with import value surging at 16.1 percent on average for three years.
In 2023, approximate wholesale price for berries in Israel stood at $2.09 and $2.79 per kilogram, he said, promising to work with TAHA to bring an Israeli business delegation by November on this agenda and other issues, The delegation will explore opportunities for investments, joint ventures and partnerships as part of the quest to set up an Israel-East African Community (EAC) chamber of commerce, he stated.
The embassy would also support TAHA’s subsidiary Greencert to secure a partner in Israel to establish a state-of-the-art laboratory for food produce testing in Arusha, he said. Greencert is an autonomous outfit offering inspection, certification and testing services within the framework of different standards and management systems in the global agri-food sector, officials noted.
Dr. Jacqueline Mkindi, the TAHA CEO, expressed gratitude to the envoy for the good relationship with TAHA and Tanzania as a whole, citing the need for Israeli firms’ technology edge in the horticulture industry. The visit helped to strengthen those bonds, she stated, noting that avocado, mangoes, pineapples, spices and herbs as well as flowers are priority horticultural produce with high potential for partnership with Israeli firms, she said. Avocado production stands at 40,000 metric tonnes per year, growing at 20 percent and offers considerable potential for investors, she stated.
Mango production stands at 450,000 MT with two percent growth projection, while pineapple harvests are put at 454,008 MT, with a four percent annual growth rate at present, she said. Spices and herbs, registering three per cent growth annually, have annual yields of about 31,242 MT, while flowers post a 4.9 percent annual growth projection and 13,240 MT total production at present, she said. The horticultural industry earned $779m in 2019, up from $60m in 2006, she stated, affirming that the sub-sector was still a nascent venture to watch in relation to creating jobs and wealth. “The government has developed a strategy to spur horticulture to earn $2bn per year and offer vast opportunities for decent jobs, she added
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