October 23, 2025
Tanzania’s horticultural sector is ready for a big change with the start of HortiMarket, a new digital platform created by the Tanzania Horticultural Association (TAHA), through its research centre, TARIC.
This innovative marketplace is designed to connect farmers, buyers, exporters, logistics providers, and service facilitators, significantly enhancing transparency, coordination, and efficiency in the horticultural value chain.
For too long, Tanzanian horticultural growers, many smallholder farmers, have faced challenges accessing market information, fair pricing, and efficient logistics, often exploited by middlemen and fragmented supply chains. HortiMarket addresses these issues head-on by offering users real-time data on prices, market trends, and quality standards, accessible even via mobile devices in low-connectivity areas. This digital hub empowers over 500,000 farmers supported by TAHA, enabling direct trade and reducing information asymmetries that distort market outcomes.
The modular design of HortiMarket ensures it can evolve with the sector’s needs, integrating new technologies to support sustainable competitiveness amid growing regional demand. By streamlining trade facilitation and quality control, the platform aims to boost Tanzania’s horticulture exports, which reached approximately US$418 million in 2023, marking a 44% increase from the previous year.
Major export markets include Europe, India, the Middle East, and increasingly China and Asia. Regionally, Tanzania supplies neighboring countries such as South Africa and Kenya, with products like avocados gaining significant traction due to better market linkages and certification standards compliance.
HortiMarket’s ecosystem incorporates trade facilitators who promote quality production and marketing best practices, incentivized through performance-based commissions. This setup encourages continuous improvement and alignment with international standards, further opening pathways to lucrative export markets.
This digital platform launch is a key example of how technology-driven solutions can modernize agriculture in emerging economies and strengthens Tanzania’s commitment to sustainable agricultural growth that benefits producers and consumers alike. As it scales, HortiMarket promises to be a cornerstone for integrated horticulture value chain development and agricultural trade resilience in the region.
All photos courtesy of TAHA