Exporting Spices from Tanzania (Cinnamon, Ginger & Others)
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
Tanzania exports a range of minor spices beyond its headline commodities — cinnamon and ginger among them. No dedicated Tanzania "Spice Board" exists; the sector is promoted jointly by TanTrade (opens the official site in a new tab) and the Tanzania Spices Association (TASPA), a private industry body, through the "Tanzania Spices Label" initiative (developed with International Trade Centre support), covering cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, ginger, chillies and others. An official generic "Spices export procedure through the Port of Dar es Salaam" exists on the Tanzania Trade Portal.
Who Can Export
General business registration, TIN registration and a food-crop export permit apply — spices are treated as one generic commodity group for export clearance rather than having per-crop licensing.
Quality & Standards
TBS maintains a general "Spices and Condiments" standards category (e.g. a determination-of-total-ash method standard, TZS 1316:2023/ISO 928:1997, confirmed via TBS's own catalogue) and draft/product-specific standards for items like ginger paste. A specific raw-ginger standard (commonly cited as TZS 47) and any cinnamon-specific standard could not be independently confirmed against primary TBS documents in current research.
Phytosanitary & Food-Safety Requirements
A TPHPA (opens the official site in a new tab) phytosanitary certificate applies to spice exports as plant products. No crop-specific pest/disease certification requirement (for cinnamon or ginger specifically) is documented.
Certificate of Origin & Rules of Origin
An ordinary or preferential TNCC (opens the official site in a new tab) 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 generic spices 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 a food-crop exporter
General business registration, TIN registration, and a food crop export permit — no dedicated commodity board or export licence exists for this crop.
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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 plant-product exports.
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Obtain a Certificate of Origin
Apply to TNCC (opens the official site in a new tab) for an ordinary or preferential Certificate of Origin, as your buyer requires.
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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.
Document Checklist
- Required
- Required
- Required
- Required
- Required in some cases
Authorities Involved
TPHPA
Tanzania Plant Health and Pesticides Authority
Issues the phytosanitary certificate required for plant-product exports.
TanTrade
Tanzania Trade Development Authority
Co-runs the Tanzania Spices Label promotion initiative with TASPA.
Official Sources
- Official source Tanzania Trade Development Authority (TanTrade) — Tanzania Trade Portal (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 Spice offers, or post your buying requirement through the Tanzania Commodities Marketplace (Markets.tz).