Tanzania Non-Tariff Measures Workshop Spices

Overview

As part of the Tanzania Partner States Window of MARKUP, ITC implemented a business surveys on non-tariff measures (NTMs). The survey aimed to identify the key regulatory and procedural obstacles to trade Tanzanian exporters and importers face.

Between 2019 and 2020, ITC has interviewed close to 650 Tanzanian companies, with a special focus on key priority products including spices.

The survey also interviewed around 50 exporters as a follow up to the first ITC survey in Tanzania in 2013/14. The purpose was to understand the changes in company’s perception and if the difficulties reported in 2013/14 have been resolved.

Overall, the surveys capture burdensome NTMs imposed by partner countries as well as bottlenecks in the home country, for example related to exporter capabilities and technical facilities to meet regulations and demonstrate compliance with NTMs, or challenging administrative processes associated with exporting and importing (procedural obstacles).

The business surveys gather evidence from the ground about unnecessary trade cost that NTMs imply. Stakeholder consultations that accompany the survey process allow identifying how to reduce such trade cost without undermining legitimate objectives that trade regulations serve.

The process thereby informs the design and implementation of Tanzania’s trade strategy, and contributes to bringing tangible changes to the business environment and facilitating untapping existing trade potentials.