Fisheries sector eyes export record in 2025 after strong performance

“The sector is recording a noticeable increase again this year,” Prof Sheikh told The Citizen, expressing confidence that export earnings and volumes could match or surpass the 2024 record.

Ministerial data show that Tanzania exported 59,746 tonnes of fish and fish products in 2024, up from 42,371 tonnes in 2023. The 41 percent rise marked the fastest year-on-year growth recorded over the past six years.

Export earnings rose in tandem, increasing from $213.3 million in 2023 to $289.6 million in 2024—an improvement of more than 36 percent. In shilling terms, export value climbed from Sh509.9 billion to Sh755.8 billion over the same period, despite global inflationary pressures and adverse climatic conditions that affected fish stocks in several African markets.

The 2024 rebound followed years of mixed performance, with export volumes dropping to 37,235 tonnes in 2022, the lowest level since 2019, before recovering in 2023.

Export value followed a similar pattern, dipping to $176.08 million in 2021, then rising gradually in 2022 and accelerating sharply in 2023 and 2024.

Prof Sheikh attributed the sustained recovery to improved production capacity, better compliance with international standards and growing demand from overseas markets, particularly Europe.

“Our major export destinations remain Europe, where demand for quality fish products continues to grow,” he said.

Tanzania’s key export products include fish fillets, crabs, sardines and other marine and freshwater species sourced from Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika and the Indian Ocean.

He said government interventions had played a central role in revitalising the sector, including the provision of modern fishing boats to artisanal fishers, expansion of cage-farming systems (vizimba) and reforms aimed at easing export procedures.

“These efforts have enabled fishers and aquaculture farmers to increase production capacity, meet international standards and access foreign markets more competitively,” Prof Sheikh said.

Provisional data from the Bank of Tanzania suggest that the exports of fish and fish products were valued at $163.6 million in the year ending October 2025, compared to $176.1 million in the same period previously.

Although full-year figures are yet to be released, Prof Sheikh said the performance points to another strong year following the record set in 2024, when both export value and volume reached their highest levels since 2019.  The sector’s performance also aligns with global trends. The OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2025–2034 projects global demand for aquatic products to rise by 11 percent over the next decade, driven by population growth, changing diets and expanding middle-income markets in Africa and Asia.

At home, fisheries remain a vital source of livelihoods and food security. In her April budget speech, the then Minister for Livestock and Fisheries, Dr Ashatu Kijaji, said the sector contributed 1.7 percent to GDP in 2023 and supported about six million Tanzanians across the value chain.

With supportive global markets and continued government investment, the fisheries sector is now hoping to translate the “noticeable increase” recorded in 2025 into another record year, further cementing its role as a key driver of Tanzania’s blue economy ambitions.