By Brandon Moss

Tanzania’s growing demand for organic products is creating new investment opportunities across the agricultural value chain, although greater financing is needed to expand production, processing, certification and farmer aggregation.

The Tanzania Organic Agriculture Movement (TOAM) says organic agriculture should be viewed not only as a way of producing safer food, but also as an important economic opportunity for farmers, entrepreneurs and investors.

TOAM Senior Projects Officer Brigitha Massawe said demand for organic products is increasing both locally and internationally, with tea, spices, avocados, cotton, sesame, fruits and vegetables among the products offering strong market potential.

However, limited production capacity remains a challenge. In some cases, market demand exceeds the ability of farmers to produce and aggregate the volumes required by buyers.

Greater investment in cooperatives, farmer organisations and producer groups could help small-scale farmers increase production, combine their output and gain access to larger domestic and export markets.

Organic farming can also reduce farmers’ reliance on expensive external inputs. Locally available materials can be used to produce organic fertilisers and pesticides, while indigenous seed varieties can provide additional benefits because many are well adapted to local growing conditions and can be more resilient to pests, diseases and climate-related pressures.

Improving soil health could further increase productivity and profitability while reducing input costs. However, shortages of commercially available organic inputs remain a constraint — and a potential investment opportunity.

Some Tanzanian entrepreneurs are already producing organic fertilisers at scale, while others have registered products with the Tanzania Fertiliser Regulatory Authority (TFRA). Many smaller producers, however, lack the capital required to complete registration and expand their businesses.

Beyond agricultural inputs, opportunities exist in processing, packaging, value addition and market development. With international demand for organically produced goods continuing to grow, Tanzania could strengthen its position in export markets through greater investment in farmer training, certification, aggregation and market linkages.