China opens market to 400 Tanzanian agricultural exporters

More than 400 Tanzanian companies have been cleared to sell agricultural produce into China, marking one of the country’s broadest market access gains in recent years and offering a potential lift for exporters, farmers and trade revenues. 

The Ministry of Agriculture said 408 Tanzanian firms are registered with China’s General Administration of Customs, a requirement to export food and agricultural products to China. The approvals followed months of coordination between Tanzania’s agriculture and foreign affairs ministries and Chinese authorities, as countries seek to expand trade ties.

Compliance opens China for Tanzania

Tanzania Plant Health and Pesticides Authority (TPHPA) Director General Joseph Ndunguru said the registrations reflect growing confidence in Tanzania’s plant health systems and export controls. He described the move as a practical step toward raising the value of agricultural exports and widening access to one of the world’s largest consumer markets.

Access, however, comes with strict conditions. Ndunguru said all approved companies must comply with China’s plant health rules, pesticide use standards, and inspection protocols before shipments are cleared for export. TPHPA will continue routine monitoring to ensure produce meets both national and international requirements.

“This registration forms part of the sanitary and phytosanitary agreements between Tanzania and China,” Ndunguru said, adding that the aim is to ensure exported goods meet Chinese standards on quality, safety and traceability. He urged exporters and farmers to work with regulators, noting that compliance is essential if Tanzania is to retain its footing in the market.

Wider crop exports with enforcement

TPHPA officials say the approvals cover a wide range of produce. Mahmoud Sasamalo, the authority’s manager for market and agricultural products, listed cocoa, soybeans, avocados, cassava, groundnuts, pepper, cloves, cashew nuts, coffee, peanuts, sunflower seeds and cotton seeds among the crops now cleared for export.

Traders who bypass official procedures, he warned, risk sanctions under Tanzanian law. To support exporters at the border, pesticides director Osaingi Shila said small laboratories will operate at key exit points to carry out preliminary testing, a move intended to reduce delays while maintaining controls on pesticide residues.

Tanzania-China ties span trade, culture

The export breakthrough comes amid broader diplomatic engagement between Tanzania and China. In January, the two governments pledged closer coordination on development strategies following talks in Dar es Salaam between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Tanzanian counterpart, Mahmoud Thabit Kombo. Both sides cited decades of cooperation and agreed to expand trade, investment and business links.

Beyond commerce, the countries also plan joint activities under the 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges, covering culture, education, tourism, public health and media cooperation. Tanzania has separately sought Chinese backing for modern infrastructure projects as it prepares to co-host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations with neighboring countries, a request reiterated during Lunar New Year celebrations at China’s embassy in Dar es Salaam.