Japan emerges as key market for Tanzanian coffee exports

JAPAN – Tanzania’s agricultural exports, particularly coffee and tobacco, are finding a thriving market in Japan, offering significant opportunities for Tanzanian farmers. 

Baraka Luvanda, Tanzania’s Ambassador to Japan, has encouraged the country’s farmers to capitalize on the growing demand for Tanzanian products in the Asian market, especially for its high-quality coffee. 

Japan imports approximately 15,000 tonnes of coffee annually, and Tanzanian coffee brands are gaining popularity among Japanese consumers.  

“Tanzanian coffee is highly preferred in Japan for its quality,” said Ambassador Luvanda, citing popular brands like Kilimanjaro, Tarime, and Black Star, which are already performing well in the Japanese market. 

Japanese consumers have a substantial demand for coffee, consuming an average of 400 million tonnes of the beverage each year.  

Ambassador Luvanda stressed that Tanzanian coffee holds a 70 percent preference rate among Japanese coffee drinkers, underscoring the potential for growth in this market. 

Despite the strong demand for Tanzanian products, a trade imbalance exists between the two nations.  

According to United Nations COMTRADE data, Tanzania’s exports to Japan in 2023 were valued at approximately US$68 million, while imports from Japan amounted to around US$650 million.  

Luvanda called on Tanzanian manufacturers, farmers, and stakeholders in the agricultural value chain to seize the economic opportunities Japan offers and increase their export capacity. 

Efforts to strengthen the coffee trade between the two countries have received support from international organizations.  

In September 2024, the United Nations’ International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) partnered with Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), UCC, and Marubeni to launch a public-private partnership aimed at supporting small-scale coffee producers in Tanzania.  

This initiative, part of the Enhanced Linkages between Private Sector and Small-Scale Producers (ELPS) project, will receive a US$2 million investment from MAFF to boost the productivity of Tanzanian coffee farmers and improve their access to global markets. 

Tanzania is also safeguarding its access to the European Union (EU) coffee market.  

In response to the EU Deforestation Regulation, the Tanzania Coffee Board has initiated a comprehensive registration of all coffee farmers to ensure that the country’s coffee exports comply with environmental protection standards. 

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