From cotton to cardamom, from sunflower to cocoa, from apples to avocado — the Ministry of Agriculture’s 2026/27 budget speech is, on close reading, an inventory of nearly thirty value chains. Here is what is on the list, what each is targeted to deliver, and what the architecture tells us.

Kilimokwanza.org Editorial Desk

Read the FY 2026/27 Ministry of Agriculture budget speech end-to-end and one fact emerges that the headline numbers do not capture. This is not a budget for a sector. It is a budget for a portfolio of value chains — at least 28 of them, each with its own production figure, its own target, its own institutional sponsor, its own geography.

The headline figure of Tsh 1.1 trillion makes the news. The list of crops that figure is meant to deliver against is the more interesting document. Below is a reader’s map of that list.

The Ministry has organised the country’s agriculture into five clear baskets — traditional cash crops, food and grain crops, oilseeds, horticulture, and emerging crops. Within each basket, specific crops carry specific FY 2026/27 production targets, specific lead institutions, and specific geographic clusters. Taken together, they describe the operational architecture of Tanzanian agriculture in 2026.

1. The nine traditional cash crops — Tanzania’s export backbone

The budget speech names nine “mazao asilia ya biashara” — traditional commercial crops — that have anchored Tanzanian agricultural exports for decades. Production across the nine reached 1,599,945.66 tons in 2025/2026, equivalent to 71.9% of the 2,225,000-ton aggregate target. Each crop has its own institutional sponsor (commodity board) and its own production geography.

Cashew (korosho) leads the basket at 617,683.77 tons, with the Cashewnut Board of Tanzania (CBT) as the lead institution and Mtwara, Lindi, Pwani and Ruvuma as the principal production zones. The crop is anchored by 511 BBT-Ugani extension officers, the TARI Naliendele pathology laboratory at 67% completion, and a 100-shelling-machine programme designed to absorb 2,800 youth into post-harvest value addition. FY 2026/27 targeting pushes production toward 700,000 tons.

Cotton (pamba) sits at 222,014 tons in 2025/2026 — 56% of the 400,000-ton target — with the Tanzania Cotton Board (TCB) as sponsor and the Lake and Western zones as the production base. The crop has the largest BBT-Ugani deployment of any value chain (761 officers), an active Simiyu kongani programme, the planned revival of Mhunze and Uzogole ginneries, and partnership talks with the Medical Stores Department on hospital-grade cotton. FY 2026/27 targets 28,000 tons of certified seed, 12 million acrepacks, 100,000 sprayers and 12 million litres of organic fertilizer.

Tobacco (tumbaku) recorded 185,776 tons in 2025/2026 — 93% of target — under the Tobacco Board of Tanzania (TTB), concentrated in Tabora, Ruvuma, Iringa, Mbeya and Geita. Research at TARI is currently quantifying the cost differentials between flue-cured, smoke-cured, air-cured and sun-cured production methods to guide farmer choice.

Coffee (kahawa) reached 74,663.60 tons (88% of target), under the Tanzania Coffee Board (TCB), with Kilimanjaro, Arusha, Kagera, Mbeya, Mbinga and Songwe as the principal regions. The crop carries 112 BBT-Ugani officers and continues to benefit from the cooperative-led marketing system that has made coffee one of the most institutionally well-organised value chains in the country.

Sugar (sukari) reached 410,979.04 tons against a 700,000-ton target (59%), under the Sugar Board of Tanzania (SBT), produced principally at Kilombero, Mtibwa, Kagera, TPC and Bagamoyo. The budget speech reports a new dormitory under construction at the Kidatu National Sugar College. Cane research, particularly on thrips management, is underway at TARI.

Sisal (mkonge) reached 64,321.77 tons, sponsored by the Tanzania Sisal Board (TSB), concentrated in Tanga, Morogoro and Coast Region. The budget speech’s most striking sisal story is on the youth side: 352 trainees (305 women, 47 men) have completed value-addition training under the BBT programme — 176% of the 200-trainee target. Twenty machines are operational, and 9 tons of raw sisal have been processed through trainees’ businesses.

Tea (chai) recorded 11,631.48 tons, under the Tanzania Smallholder Tea Development Agency (TSHTDA) and the Tea Board, with Mufindi, Njombe, Mbeya, Tanga and Kagera as principal districts. Research at TARI is currently testing shade-tree varieties suited to Tanzanian tea-growing conditions.

Cocoa (kakao) recorded 10,096 tons, under the Cereals and Other Produce Regulatory Authority (COPRA), with Kyela, Rungwe, Busokelo, Mlimba and Mvomero as the principal districts. The FY 2026/27 plan targets 15,000 tons through training of 500 lead farmers and 45 extension officers, and the distribution of 559,500 cocoa seedlings across Tanga, Kigoma, Kagera and Morogoro. COPRA is also building processing and drying infrastructure at seven cocoa collection centres.

Pyrethrum (pareto) closed the traditional cash-crop basket at 2,780 tons, also under COPRA, concentrated in Mbeya, Iringa, Njombe and Arusha. The FY 2026/27 plan adds 150 pyrethrum-flower drying facilities across Makete (30), Ileje (35), Mbeya Vijijini (40), Ludewa (10), Mbulu (25) and Arusha Vijijini (10), and targets the registration of 20,000 pyrethrum farmers via geo-tagged farm records.

2. The food and grain basket — 23.78 million tons of national security

The budget speech’s food-crop figures total 23,783,128 tons for the 2024/2025 season — a 4.3% increase on the previous year’s 22,803,316 tons. Of this, cereals (mazao ya nafaka) accounted for 14,924,582 tons and non-cereal food crops (mazao yasiyo ya nafaka) accounted for 8,858,546 tons.

Within the basket, the named crops include:

• Maize (mahindi) — the dominant cereal staple, the largest single seed-multiplication line in the FY 2026/27 ASA programme at 17,632 tons of certified seed, principally produced in the Southern Highlands, Lake zone and Central plateau.
• Rice (mpunga) — the second cereal staple, with 5,108 tons of certified seed scheduled, concentrated in Morogoro, Mbeya, Shinyanga, Mwanza and the Kilombero Valley. Storage releases by NFRA in FY 2025/26 included 33,865 tons of rice.
• Wheat (ngano) — produced in the highland zones (Manyara, Arusha, Iringa, Njombe), with 1,100 tons of certified seed scheduled in FY 2026/27 and a known structural import gap.
• Sorghum (mtama) — the dryland cereal, with 300 tons of certified seed scheduled. TARI Hombolo, designated Centre of Excellence for Dryland Agriculture for East Africa, is the lead research institute.
• Pearl millet (uwele) — also produced in the dryland zones, with TARI breeding work ongoing.
• Cassava (muhogo) — the principal root crop, with FY 2026/27 plans for cassava-processing infrastructure investment and tissue-culture replanting through TARI Maruku (currently at 30% completion). The Maruku tissue-culture lab targets supply of clean planting material across the Lake zone.
• Sweet potato (viazi vitamu) — distributed across central and southern zones.
• Irish/round potato (viazi mviringo) — produced in the highland zones (Mbeya, Njombe, Iringa, Kilimanjaro), and named as one of the new BBT-target crops for joining commercial farming clusters.
• Beans (maharage) — the dominant pulse staple, with 412 tons of certified seed scheduled in FY 2026/27 and concentration in Kagera, Kigoma and the Southern Highlands.
• Mung bean (choroko) — included in TARI’s 54 climate-resilient seed releases, with 110 tons of certified seed scheduled in FY 2026/27 and 16 new varieties named in the climate-resilience release set.
• Pigeon pea (mbaazi) — with 160 tons of certified seed scheduled for FY 2026/27. NFRA released 5,652 tons of pigeon pea in FY 2025/26.
• Soya (soya) — emerging pulse with growing acreage, principally in Ruvuma and Rukwa.
• Lentils (dengu) — with NFRA releasing 487 tons in FY 2025/26 — small but tracked.

3. The oilseed basket — 2.25 million tons and a 100% self-sufficiency target

Oilseed production reached 2,248,046.23 tons in 2024/2025 — 102.18% of the 2,200,000-ton target — and represents one of the strongest performance categories in the entire budget speech. The basket comprises five named crops, each with its own production geography and Vision 2030 trajectory.

Sunflower (alizeti) is the dominant oilseed at 1,222,209.64 tons, principally produced in the Central zone (Singida, Dodoma, Manyara) with 1,907 tons of certified seed scheduled by ASA for FY 2026/27. TARI research is targeting both yield improvement and oil-content optimisation.

Groundnuts (karanga) reached 609,340.40 tons, distributed across the Central, Western, Lake and Southern zones, with TARI research extending to the new climate-resilient varieties.

Sesame (ufuta) recorded 257,040.84 tons, concentrated in the Mtwara, Lindi, Coast and Tanga regions, with 490 tons of certified seed scheduled by ASA in FY 2026/27.

Coconut (nazi) reached 85,152.70 tons, anchored in the Coast region and Zanzibar, with replanting and rehabilitation programmes for ageing palm stocks.

Oil palm (chikichi/michikichi) recorded 74,302.65 tons, principally produced in Kigoma and being actively expanded as part of the import-substitution drive on edible oils. Tanzania imports a significant share of its edible oil consumption, and the oil-palm acceleration is one of the most consequential strategic plays in the budget speech’s self-sufficiency agenda.

“Uzalishaji wa mazao ya mafuta umefikia tani 2,248,046 mwaka 2024/2025 sawa na asilimia 102.18 ya lengo. Tunaendelea kuwekeza katika mazao haya ili kufikia lengo la kujitosheleza kwa asilimia 100 ya mafuta ya kula ifikapo mwaka 2030.” — Hotuba ya Bajeti ya Wizara ya Kilimo, Mwaka 2026/2027 (kifungu cha mazao ya mafuta)

4. The horticulture basket — 9.78 million tons and the export of the future

Horticulture production (mazao ya bustani) reached 9,781,936.74 tons in 2024/2025 — 108.68% of the 9,000,000-ton target — and is, on volume, the largest production category in the budget speech. The Ministry organises the basket into three sub-categories with very different commercial profiles.

Fruits (matunda) accounted for 8,051,887.41 tons. This is the dominant horticulture sub-category by volume and includes bananas (migomba/ndizi), pineapples (nanasi), grapes (zabibu — with 36 named in the new variety set), oranges, mangoes, passion fruit and watermelon. The banana value chain is particularly significant in the Lake zone (Kagera, Kilimanjaro, Mbeya), where TARI Maruku tissue culture is the institutional anchor.

Vegetables (mboga) accounted for 1,634,590.96 tons, principally produced in the Northern zone (Arusha, Kilimanjaro, Manyara, Tanga) and around major urban demand centres. The category includes tomato, onion, leafy greens, capsicum, cucurbits and the rapidly growing cold-chain export segment.

Spices (viungo) reached 95,458.37 tons — the smallest sub-category by volume but among the highest by per-kilogramme value. The budget speech names cinnamon (mdalasini), cardamom (iliki), ginger (tangawizi) and pepper (pilipili) as principal spice value chains. Zanzibar and the Eastern coastal zone remain the historic spice-production heartland; the FY 2026/27 plan extends spice-specific extension to 213 farmers.

Within horticulture, two crops receive their own dedicated treatment in the budget speech and warrant separate mention as standalone value chains.

Avocado (parachichi) recorded 201,354 tons in 2024/2025, with exports of 37,871 tons (94.7% of the 40,000-ton export target). Production is concentrated in Mbeya (Rungwe, Busokelo), Iringa, Njombe, Songwe, Kilimanjaro, Tanga and Morogoro. The budget speech lists 8 collection centres operational in Mbeya (6 in Rungwe, 2 in Busokelo) at 20% capacity utilisation, and 12 contracted across Iringa (4), Rukwa (1), Ruvuma (2) and Njombe (5). Some 349,000 seedlings have been distributed across the Mbeya/Songwe/Iringa/Njombe corridor; 3 boreholes have been drilled; 527 farmers and 50 extension officers trained. Two specialised AMCOS — MANG’OTO (54 farmers, Makete) and Ulembwe (95 farmers, Wanging’ombe) — are the institutional anchors. COPRA carries 50 BBT-Ugani officers dedicated to the avocado value chain.

Apples (tufaha) appear in the budget speech as one of the most interesting late entries to the country’s horticulture portfolio. Tanzania currently imports the majority of its apple consumption, but the Southern Highlands (Mbeya, Njombe, Iringa) have been confirmed as agro-ecologically suitable for commercial apple production, and the FY 2026/27 plan moves apples from a research crop into a target import-substitution crop. The plan distributes 600,000 apple seedlings, trains farmer leaders on best-practice apple husbandry, and structures the entire value chain — from nursery to processing — for domestic supply. This is, in effect, a brand-new commercial value chain being launched out of the FY 2026/27 budget.

5. The strategic and emerging set

Beyond the four primary baskets, the budget speech names additional value chains that operate across categories or are emerging into commercial scale:

• Grapes (zabibu) — concentrated in Dodoma and emerging Manyara districts, with 36 named in the new variety release set and viticulture training extended to 250 farmers and 932 extension officers. The budget speech treats grapes as both a horticulture crop and a strategic value-addition (wine) crop.
• Cardamom and cinnamon (iliki, mdalasini) — Zanzibar and coastal Tanga, treated as historic but expanding spice value chains with new market opportunities in the Middle East and Asia.
• Ginger (tangawizi) — included specifically in the FY 2026/27 value-addition infrastructure plan: drying, processing and storage facilities for ginger and cassava are being built jointly.
• Sweet potato, irish potato, wheat and apples are flagged together in the budget speech as crops being formally integrated into BBT commercial farming clusters during FY 2026/27 — that is, crops whose entry into structured commercial production is being newly accelerated.

What the value-chain map tells us

Stand back from the inventory and three patterns become visible.

First, the breadth is unusual. Few African agriculture ministries operate value-chain portfolios this wide. Tanzania is structurally pursuing 28+ commercial value chains simultaneously, each with its own institution, budget line and target. The breadth is what allows the country to be food-self-sufficient at 130%, to be a net exporter on multiple cash crops, and to be moving into import-substitution on edible oils and apples at the same time. It is also what makes the agriculture portfolio resilient to single-crop shocks — disease in one cluster, weather in another — that have historically derailed less-diversified national programmes.

Second, the institutional architecture is layered with intent. Each value chain has a primary commodity board (TCB cotton, CBT cashew, Coffee Board, Tea Board, Sugar Board, Sisal Board, Tobacco Board, COPRA for cocoa/pyrethrum/grapes/cassava). Each has a research arm at TARI (Naliendele cashew, Hombolo dryland, Maruku tissue culture, Selian seeds, Uyole highlands). Each has a regulatory layer at TPHPA, TFRA or TOSCI. And each is increasingly tied into the cooperative system through MUVU, the e-Kilimo data platform and the BBT-Ugani extension network. The value chains are not floating individually; they are wired into a common institutional backbone.

Third, the targets are honest. The budget speech reports nine traditional cash crops at 71.9% of their aggregate target. Cotton at 56%. Sugar at 59%. The Ministry is not hiding the gaps. Where horticulture exceeds target (108.68%) and oilseeds exceed target (102.18%), the figures are reported alongside the underperformers. This is a budget speech that treats the value-chain portfolio as a managed dashboard rather than a marketing document — and that posture is itself a form of institutional maturity.

What the country has assembled, in short, is a value-chain portfolio at a scale the rest of the East African Community is not currently matching. The crops the budget speech names are the operational signature of an agriculture sector being run as a portfolio of investable, institutionally-supported, regionally-anchored value chains.

Read in isolation, each value chain is a paragraph in a budget speech. Read together, they are the architecture of a national agricultural economy that is preparing — explicitly and deliberately — to become a USD 5 billion exporter by 2030.

If you want to know where to invest, where to specialise, where to build a cooperative, where to write a research grant, where to start an agritech business in Tanzania — the answer is on this list. The crops the budget speech names are the most actionable single page in the country’s agricultural strategy.

Source: Hotuba ya Mhe. Daniel Godfrey Chongolo (MB), Waziri wa Kilimo, kuhusu Makadirio ya Mapato na Matumizi ya Wizara ya Kilimo, Mwaka 2026/2027. All production figures, targets, regional placements and value-addition data are verified against the published 296-page budget speech document.

Compiled by the Kilimokwanza.org Editorial Desk · April 2026.