Tanzania’s ambition to become a competitive agricultural powerhouse will depend not only on how much the country produces, but increasingly on how well it understands markets, meets quality standards and uses science and technology to deliver safe, market-ready products, the CEO of the Agricultural Growth Corridors of Tanzania (AGCOT) Centre, Geoffrey Kirenga, has said.

Kirenga, who is also a Member of the Presidential Food and Agriculture Delivery Council, made the remarks in an interview in Dodoma, where he reflected on discussions around market intelligence, food safety, agricultural standards and emerging technologies showcased during Nane Nane 2026.

He said Tanzania has enormous opportunities to expand agricultural markets, both at home and across regional and international destinations, but unlocking those opportunities requires a fundamental shift in how agricultural production is approached.

Market Opportunities Across Multiple Corridors

“We have very big market opportunities within Tanzania, in the countries around us, in East Africa and SADC, but also in new markets in Europe, the Far East, China, India and the United States,” Kirenga said.

However, he cautioned that access to markets cannot be separated from quality, safety, standards and science.

From ‘Producing More’ to ‘Producing for the Market’

Kirenga said the discussions during Nane Nane 2026 demonstrated the growing importance of using market intelligence to guide agricultural production. Information presented by stakeholders covered livestock, crops, fisheries, business services and other areas of the agricultural economy, reinforcing the need for producers to understand what different markets require before they produce for them.

For Tanzania, he said, the question is no longer simply whether the country can produce agricultural commodities. The bigger question is whether those commodities can consistently meet the specifications of the intended market.

This includes compliance with plant-health regulations, food-safety requirements, quality standards and other international protocols governing agricultural trade.

Kirenga highlighted the role of the Tanzania Plant Health and Pesticides Authority (TPHPA), which undertakes inspection, verification and provides technical knowledge to help ensure that Tanzanian agricultural products comply with international requirements. He also pointed to systems responsible for safeguarding the quality and safety of livestock and fisheries products destined for both domestic and international markets.

AflaBox: Bringing Science Closer to the Farmer

One of the technologies showcased during the exhibition particularly impressed Kirenga: AflaBox, a portable technology designed to detect aflatoxin contamination in grain. Aflatoxins are toxins produced by certain fungi that can contaminate food and animal feed. Their presence presents a food-safety challenge and can also undermine the marketability of agricultural commodities.

Kirenga described the technology as a powerful example of how scientific innovation can be taken directly to the point where agricultural decisions are made. Previously, he explained, samples would generally have to be collected and transported to a laboratory for testing. With portable technology, testing can potentially be undertaken much closer to the farm, aggregation centre, processing facility, buying point or other location where commodities are handled.

“Instead of taking the produce to the laboratory, you can have the equipment with you. It is portable. You put the grain inside and, after some time, it tells you the type of aflatoxin present,” he explained.

For Kirenga, the significance goes beyond the device itself. It represents a practical demonstration of how scientific research can be translated into technology that supports farmers, processors, traders and consumers.

The Invisible Threat in the Food Chain

Kirenga stressed that aflatoxin contamination is particularly challenging because contaminated food cannot necessarily be identified by appearance. A grain may look perfectly normal while containing levels of contamination that make it unsafe. This makes testing and prevention critical.

He pointed to Tanzania’s work with research institutions, including the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), on biological approaches to controlling aflatoxin-producing fungi. Such approaches use beneficial microorganisms, including selected antagonistic fungi, to suppress the fungi responsible for aflatoxin contamination in crops.

This creates an important two-level defence: prevent contamination in the field and detect it before contaminated commodities reach consumers or markets.

Food Safety as Market-Access Strategy

Kirenga argued that food safety should not be treated merely as a regulatory obligation. It is increasingly a commercial requirement. For Tanzania to penetrate demanding international markets, producers and agribusinesses must be able to demonstrate that their commodities meet the required safety and quality standards.

That means technology such as portable testing equipment can become an important part of the agricultural value chain—from production and aggregation to processing and trade. It can also help farmers, processors and buyers make better-informed decisions before commodities enter the market.

The broader message is clear: market intelligence tells producers what the market wants; science helps them produce it; testing verifies its safety and quality; and standards provide the passport to market access.

Consumers as Partners in Food Safety

Kirenga also called on consumers to become more conscious of the quality and safety of the food they purchase. He urged Tanzanians to pay greater attention to information and guidance provided by agricultural and livestock authorities and to recognise that food safety is directly connected to national development.

“Human health is very important,” he said. “We are building infrastructure and doing everything for development, but if your health is affected because of unsafe food, those developments lose the person who is supposed to enjoy them.”

He said investment in food-safety knowledge, scientific innovation and appropriate technologies ultimately contributes to a healthier population capable of benefiting from Tanzania’s economic transformation.

A Message Aligned with Vision 2050

Kirenga’s message comes at a critical moment in Tanzania’s agricultural transformation journey. The country is seeking to move beyond low-productivity agriculture towards a more commercially oriented system in which farmers are connected to markets, agribusinesses invest in value addition, and agricultural commodities compete successfully across regional and global markets.

In that transition, market intelligence, food safety, science and technology are no longer peripheral issues—they are central pillars of competitiveness.

The implication for Tanzania’s agricultural sector is profound. The country must not simply ask: How much can we produce? It must increasingly ask:

Who will buy it? What specifications do they require? Can we consistently meet those specifications? Can we prove that the product is safe? And can we deliver it competitively?

That is the pathway from agricultural production to market-led agricultural transformation.

Nane Nane 2026: From Exhibition to Agricultural Transformation

As the 2026 Tanzania Nane Nane International Agricultural Exhibition drew to a close on 8 August at the Dr. John Samuel Malecela Grounds in Dodoma, the event marked a pivotal turning point in the nation’s agrarian trajectory. Anchored by the official theme,

“Tambua Soko; Ongeza Tija, Tekeleza Dira 2050” — “Recognise the Market, Increase Productivity, Implement Vision 2050” — the week-long showcase reinforced a national imperative to transition from traditional subsistence farming into a highly productive, market-driven agribusiness framework.

Addressing delegates and farmers at the climax ceremony, President Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan urged stakeholders to aggressively embrace technology, value addition and strict quality standards to maximise commercial returns across domestic, regional and global markets.

More than a ceremonial gathering, Nane Nane 2026 brought together more than 1,000 exhibitors and official delegations from 24 foreign nations, securing international investment commitments and establishing actionable public-private implementation compacts.

Key policy milestones included the launch of the TZS 3.5 trillion National Poultry Development Strategy (NPDS 2026–2036), alongside commercial showcases featuring dual-season viticulture and climate-smart technologies.

Ultimately, the strategic blueprints, commercial agreements and infrastructure commitments sealed during the exhibition lay a solid foundation for empowering rural communities, expanding opportunities for young people and positioning Tanzania as a regional agribusiness powerhouse as the country implements Vision 2050.

The Three Strategic Pillars: Science, Intelligence, and Safety

Behind the exhibitions and policy launches lies a more granular strategic architecture. AGCOT, mandated under Flagship No. 7 of the Agriculture Master Plan (AMP) 2050, operates on three foundational pillars that directly translate exhibition rhetoric into field-level results. Understanding these pillars is essential to grasping how Tanzania intends to reach its macroeconomic “North Star”: scaling agricultural GDP to USD 100 billion and achieving USD 20 billion in annual exports by 2050.

Pillar I: Genetic Intensification and Soil Science

Yield intensification is a biological imperative. Current evidence from field trials across Tanzania demonstrates exponential productivity gains when improved genetics meet modern agronomic practice.

The SARO 5 Paddy variety amplifies baseline yields from 2.1 to 10.0 MT/hectare—a 4.7-fold increase. The Sagitta Potato Seed scales yields from 7.0 to 28.0 MT/hectare—a 4.0-fold increase. These multiplier effects are not theoretical; they represent the lived experience of organised farmers in AGCOT clusters across the Southern Highlands.

Yet Tanzania’s current R&D allocation of 0.56% of GDP falls short of the Khartoum and Malabo targets of 1.0%. This funding gap restricts the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) and the Tanzania Livestock Research Institute (TALIRI), creating a seed supply bottleneck that satisfies merely 25% of national demand. Without closing this gap, yield intensification remains aspirational rather than operational.

Furthermore, 4.7 million hectares of acidic soils require systematic remediation. AGCOT advocates for large-scale lime application, precision drip irrigation (which demonstrates 50% water-usage reductions), and containment systems for agrochemicals—the “Kizimba” model deployed in Makopo and Mifuko—to unlock the nutrient potential of marginal lands whilst protecting environmental integrity.

Pillar II: Market Intelligence and Structured Value Chains

Asymmetrical information and unstructured trade remain predatory forces that siphon wealth from smallholders. The non-standard “lumbesa” bag system exemplifies this exploitation: farmers are coerced to sell oversized, undervalued batches, preventing capital accumulation and poverty escape.

AGCOT counters this through a digital intelligence suite anchored by three tools:

ATMIS (Agricultural Trade and Market Information System) tracks export data to ensure national trade transparency.

MIS (Market Intelligence System) captures real-time price data, arming farmers with negotiation power against exploitative middlemen.

TMX (Tanzania Mercantile Exchange) provides a structured platform for fair price discovery across commodity markets.

The “Compact Model” operationalised in clusters like Ihemi and Mbarali creates legal and relational accountability. The Ruvuma Soybean Compact, for instance, aligns Regional Secretariats, Agricultural Marketing Co-operative Societies (AMCOS), and private partners like PASS Trust and MCODE. The results speak definitively: in FY2025 alone, the model created 391,602 cumulative jobs and generated USD 168.7 million in annual farmer revenues. Most significantly, it permanently lifted 22,026 people out of poverty.

De-risking through “Fit4Ag”—a partnership between AGCOT, TADB, CRDB, and Equity Bank—has revolutionised rural finance. A landmark TZS 1 billion agreement with Equity Bank for maize seed production proved that data-driven, structured cooperatives can become bankable without traditional physical collateral. This demonstrates that information can substitute for assets.

Pillar III: Food Safety and Certification Infrastructure

Market intelligence and financial access are nullified if products fail at the border due to contamination. The National Poultry Development Strategy (NPDS) 2026–2036 exemplifies this reality. The strategy targets 17 billion eggs and 380,000 tonnes of meat annually by 2036, requiring a TZS 3.5 trillion investment (74% private sector capital). Yet 70% of current poultry feed exceeds aflatoxin safety limits—a systemic crisis that threatens the entire “avian economy” and export ambitions to the Middle East and Europe.

Tanzania must empower the Tanzania Plant Health and Pesticides Authority (TPHPA) and Tanzania Veterinary Laboratory Agency (TVLA) to enforce standards across value chains. Currently, Tanzanian exporters face a certification bottleneck, often forced to hire Kenyan agents for GLOBALG.A.P. or SMETA certifications. This cost inefficiency siphons value away from domestic producers.

Success models like Tanzanice and GBRI/EatFresh prove that Tanzanian firms can meet global standards when soft infrastructure is in place. The strategic imperative is clear: localise certification bodies to reduce overhead, eliminate dependence on external agents, and retain value domestically.

Translating Vision into Action

The pathway to Tanzania’s USD 100 billion agricultural economy is neither mysterious nor theoretical. It requires operationalising three integrated systems: scientific yield intensification grounded in improved genetics and soil health; market intelligence that connects producers to transparent, structured trade; and food safety certification that serves as the passport to premium markets.

The evidence is compelling. In the Ihemi cluster, farmer revenues of USD 168.7 million annually and 391,602 jobs created demonstrate that this model works at scale. The four-fold yield multipliers in potatoes and rice show what genetics and agronomic discipline can achieve. The NPDS and its TZS 3.5 trillion capital mobilisation prove that private investors will fund agriculture when risks are managed through structured market channels and certified safety standards.

Nane Nane 2026 was not an end point but a waypoint—a moment when Tanzania formally committed to this three-pillar framework as the architecture of its agricultural future. The exhibitions concluded. The real work begins now.