Exporting Sesame from Tanzania
Guide information
Export.tz is a commercial information service, not a government agency, regulator, or law firm. This guide explains published procedures for general orientation. Always confirm current requirements directly with the authorities linked below before you ship.
Zanzibar sourcing gap — this guide is marked “Applies to: Mainland Tanzania & Zanzibar”, but every authority cited below is Mainland-scoped and we have not independently confirmed a Zanzibar-specific process for this commodity. If you are exporting from Zanzibar, confirm requirements directly with the Zanzibar authorities before relying on this guide.
Overview
Sesame is one of Tanzania's larger export crops by value (roughly $225.6 million / 128,483 tonnes in 2023, per trade-data platform Tridge), with China and Japan the leading destinations by value. Sesame does not have its own dedicated statutory board the way coffee or cashew do, but COPRA (Cereals and Other Produce Regulatory Authority) publishes sesame-specific production guidance and the Tanzania Trade Portal lists a dedicated "Export of sesame seeds through the port of Dar es Salaam" procedure, distinct from a generic catch-all export process.
Who Can Export
General business registration, TIN registration and the standard export-clearance process apply, via a licensed Clearing and Forwarding Agent and TANCIS. Whether sesame requires COPRA export-permit registration in the same way as rice/maize was not conclusively confirmed in current research — confirm directly with COPRA before shipment.
Quality & Standards
A Tanzania Standard for sesame seed (commonly cited as TZS 741:2018) is referenced across secondary sources but could not be independently confirmed against a primary TBS document in current research. Export-grade sesame commonly trades against buyer-contract purity and quality specifications rather than a single universally-applied export grade.
Phytosanitary & Food-Safety Requirements
A TPHPA (opens the official site in a new tab) phytosanitary certificate applies to sesame as a plant-product export.
Certificate of Origin & Rules of Origin
An ordinary or preferential TNCC Certificate of Origin may be required depending on the buyer and destination market.
Customs & Clearance
Standard TANCIS clearance via a licensed Clearing and Forwarding Agent, following the Trade Portal's dedicated sesame export procedure.
Buyer Document Pack
Commercial Invoice, Packing List, phytosanitary certificate, Certificate of Origin.
Step-by-Step Export Process
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Register as an exporter
General business registration and TIN registration; confirm directly with COPRA whether export-permit registration applies to sesame in your case.
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Obtain a phytosanitary certificate
Apply to TPHPA (opens the official site in a new tab) for the phytosanitary certificate required for sesame exports.
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Customs clearance and shipment
Appoint a licensed Clearing and Forwarding Agent to lodge the TANCIS declaration and complete port clearance and shipment via the Trade Portal's dedicated sesame export procedure.
Document Checklist
- Required
- Required
- Required
- Required
- Required in some cases
Authorities Involved
Official Sources
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Official source Tanzania Trade Portal — Export of sesame seeds through the port of Dar es Salaam (retrieved 5 Oct 2026)
Procedure-specific official citation, supplementing the general Trade Portal reference already linked. - Official source Tanzania Trade Development Authority (TanTrade) — Tanzania Trade Portal (retrieved 29 Sep 2026)
- Tridge — Tanzania Sesame Seed Export Intelligence (retrieved 29 Sep 2026)
Official sources above are published by the Government of Tanzania via the Tanzania Trade Portal (TanTrade), content licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Commodities.tz republishes only concise factual citations and links to the original — always confirm current requirements on the official site.
Ready to source from Tanzania?
Find exporters, explore available Sesame offers, or post your buying requirement through the Tanzania Commodities Marketplace (Markets.tz).