Project for Arusha flower farmers.

Flower farmers in northern Tanzania are set to benefit from a project to improve the transportation of horticultural products to international markets. Supported by the United States agency for international development, the two-year Tanzania Airfrieght Project (TAP) is exploring how to boost cargo services for cut flowers at Kilimanjaro International Airport. Part of the problem, according to carriers, is that floriculturalists in the area still do not produce enough flowers to make freight services economically viable. However, this means that producers are often forced to transport their produce by road to Nairobi in neighbouring Kenya for air shipment overseas at considerable additional expense and to the overall detriment of production.

The flower industry in Tanzania currently employs an estimated 4,500 people, of whom the majority are women, and accounts for around 0.5 per cent of national exports. Most flower farms are located in Arusha and Kilimanjaro regions.