• The Tanzania Horticultural Association (TAHA) has launched HortiMarket, a digital platform to connect producers, exporters, and buyers in the horticultural sector.
• TAHA aims to raise horticultural export revenues to $2 billion by 2030, up from an annual average of $382 million between 2021 and 2024.
• Limited internet access—only 31.9% of Tanzanians are online—remains a major challenge for the adoption of digital tools in rural areas.

Tanzania’s horticultural industry, which accounts for nearly 30% of the country’s agricultural export earnings, is turning to digital innovation to boost its performance. The Tanzania Horticultural Association (TAHA) has launched a new digital platform to improve market access and supply chain coordination across the sector.

The platform, called HortiMarket, was unveiled on October 20, according to Tanzania Invest. It is accessible through a website, mobile app, WhatsApp chatbot, and USSD code.

TAHA said HortiMarket will act as a centralized online marketplace where farmers, exporters, buyers, and service providers can interact, exchange data, and close deals. The association described the initiative as a “strategic response” to persistent market access challenges that have constrained growth and competitiveness in Tanzania’s horticultural exports.

TAHA expects the platform to enable users to identify new business opportunities, make informed decisions, and improve overall coordination, efficiency, and profitability within the value chain.

The digital shift aligns with TAHA’s broader strategy to expand Tanzania’s presence in global fruit and vegetable markets. In June, the association announced its goal to raise horticultural export revenues to $2 billion by 2030—almost five times the sector’s average annual earnings of $382 million recorded between 2021 and 2024, according to data from the Bank of Tanzania.

The horticultural sector employs more than 500,000 smallholder farmers, whose inclusion in the new digital ecosystem will be key to achieving this growth target.

However, the rollout faces infrastructure hurdles. Only 31.9% of Tanzanians currently have internet access, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Nearly 60% of the population lives in rural areas where smartphone ownership and internet connectivity remain limited, World Bank data show.

This article was initially published in French by Stéphanas Assocle 

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum