Feature: Tanzania’s honey firm poised to access China’s mega-market through 7th CIIE

DAR ES SALAAM, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) — Four employees of a honey processing company located at Goba, 18 kilometers north of Tanzania’s port city of Dar es Salaam, are busy making final preparations for participation in the seventh edition of the China International Import Expo (CIIE), which will be held in Shanghai from Nov. 5 through Nov. 10.
“We hope to capture the Chinese market of 1.4 billion people after showcasing our honey products during the five-day expo,” said Jackson Mponela, production manager for commerce and development at Tanzania Future Enterprises Company Limited.
The company, which produces, processes, packages, and sells beekeeping products, is among the 34 Tanzanian exhibitors for this year’s CIIE, where they will showcase a variety of goods, including honey, agricultural produce, textiles, minerals, handicrafts, and industrial goods.
“Our honey products that will feature at the 7th CIIE include bee pollen, natural honey, honey sachets, and bee wax,” soft-spoken Mponela told Xinhua in an interview on Monday.
With the motto of “Home of Great Taste” and brand name “Jamii Honey,” loosely translated into English as “Community Honey,” Mponela is optimistic that the 7th CIIE will open and expand the market for his company’s beekeeping products.
“Our company was established about a year ago, but production went up this February after we acquired a honey sachet processing machine from China, which has enabled us to produce honey sachets for use in homes and hotels,” he said.
Mponela said his company was introduced to the CIIE by the Tanzania Trade Development Authority (TanTrade), a government agency that works toward enhancing Tanzania’s economic performance through the development and promotion of goods and services for both local and foreign markets.
He said he looked forward to attracting more customers for beekeeping products at the CIIE because, apart from the Chinese market, the expo will also be attended by exhibitors from across the globe.
“Honey has a lot of uses for human beings. It is used by people with high blood pressure and obesity, and it can cure people burnt by fire,” he said, adding that bee wax is used for industrial purposes.
Mponela said the Chinese market is more accessible than those in the United States and Europe, where complicated and bureaucratic procedures are required. He praised the South-South cooperation, saying it helped African countries, including Tanzania, acquire the technological know-how from China that boosts the production of various goods.
Mponela said Chinese-made machines are sold at affordable prices to people in developing countries, especially in Africa. “The machines we acquired from China have helped us boost the quantity and quality of our products,” he said.
In mid-October, Tanzania’s Zanzibar Minister for Trade and Industrial Development Omar Said Shaaban said the 7th CIIE will provide a platform for showcasing Tanzanian products and services to one of the largest consumer markets in the world.
“Through the 7th CIIE, we aim to raise global awareness of the ‘Made in Tanzania’ brand, which reflects our products’ quality, sustainability, and uniqueness,” said Shaaban. ■