Direct flights of fresh produce, flowers and cuttings from the main growing areas of Tanzania moved a step closer this week, as members of the Tanzania Horticultural Association (Taha) reached a new agreement on the Tanzania Airfreight Project.
Jacqueline Mkindi, executive director of Taha, told FPJ: “We reached an agreement to establish the Taha Fresh Handling Co. Soon we will be looking to appoint a manager, and the members of Taha have agreed to two of the four proposed carriers that were put to them at the meeting: one from South African Airways (SAA) and one from Emirates.”
The preferred option for many of the senders is the SAA route from Kilimanjaro to Amsterdam. “SAA is still in the process of getting an aircraft to service this route, but it would transport all our fresh produce: from beans, chillies and baby carrots to flowers and cuttings,” said Mkindi. “The other option is the Emirates service to Dubai for onward distribution. Based on the proposal we have had from the airline, this could start as soon as September.
“The airfreight project is supported by USAID and has been in place for a year. It feels like it has been a long time in coming, but now we are really making progress,” she added.
Growers from the main production areas of Arusha and Kilimanjaro have traditionally exported via Nairobi in Kenya, but increased levels of investment in Tanzanian horticultural production mean that volumes have risen sufficiently to warrant a direct service from Tanzania.
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