|
Type of coffee: |
Arabica, Robusta, Roasted |
|
Volume (MTs 2003): |
31,573 MT - Arabica
19,260 MT - Robusta
452 MT - Roasted |
|
Value ($ 2003): |
$36,750,991 - Arabica
$11,632,847 - Robusta
$754,976 Roasted |
|
Brand names: |
Kilimanjaro, Bukoba, TANCAFE |
|
Marketing system: |
Auction and direct sale |
|
Processing: |
Wet processing only - Arabica
Dry process only - Robusta |
|
Harvest season: |
July - December - Arabica
April - November - Robusta |
|
Port of shipment: |
Dar es Salaam or Tanga |
|
Export destinations: |
Germany, Japan, (Arabica)
Italy, Belgium, France (Robusta) |
The United Republic of Tanzania is located on the
East Coast of Africa, sharing borders with seven other
countries: Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Congo,
Malawi and Mozambique. The Tanzanian coastline is
nearly 1,500 kilometres long, stretching alongside the
sparkling blue Indian Ocean. Just off the mainland sits the
legendary island of Zanzibar.
Tanzania, like many coastal countries in the tropics, is a
country of contrasts. The altitudes range from sea level
to the highest point on the continent of Africa, Mount
Kilimanjaro at 5,895 metres.
The country is a rich sanctuary for wildlife, including
the great Serengeti National Park, (famous for its vast
migratory herds of plains animals, notably wildebeest,
zebra, eland and kudu) and Gombe National Park along
Lake Tanganyika with small bands of chimpanzees.
Despite a richness in natural resources, agriculture is the
mainstay of the economy, employing about 90% of the
workforce, accounting for 57% of the Gross Domestic
Product and 85% of exports. Staples are maize, rice and
wheat. Main cash crops include coffee, (of which over
85% is grown by smallholders) cotton, tobacco, cashew
nuts, tea and sisal. Zanzibar exports cloves and other
spices.
Arabica coffee was introduced as a commercial crop in
1900 on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. This coffee
accounts for nearly 75% of
the 50,000 tons of coffee that
Tanzania produces every year.
It is now cultivated in practically
all the highland regions of the
country.
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