Challenges and Opportunities towards Catalyzing Production and Commercialization of Tamarind Fruit in Kenya

There is limited information on how to catalyze Tamarind production and commercialization in Kenya despite the growing demand in the domestic and export markets due to its multiple uses. The objective of this study was to conduct a situational analysis on production and commercialization of Tamarind in Kenya and to identify bottlenecks and opportunities which may help catalyze the scaling up of production and commercialization of Tamarind. An exploratory study design using selected literature and interviews with farmers, transporters, traders and extension staff in the Coastal regional of Kenya were used to collect data. The results show that Tamarind fruits are underutilized, mainly collected in the wild in semi-arid areas of the country and marketed through informal channels. Mombasa is the terminal market for tamarind sourced from Kenya and Uganda, from where domestic consumers and exporters obtain their supplies. Key challenges were found to be lack of organized production, long maturity periods, lack of quality planting materials, distant markets, limited value addition and inadequate promotion by government institutions. Increasing demand in local restaurants for tamarind drinks, flavoured foods and sauces as well as the export markets provide opportunities to scale up production in Kenya. The findings suggest that catalyzing the production and commercialization of tamarind in the country requires collaboration between public and private sector actors. The structure of such a collaboration should focus on development and strengthening the following value chain links namely; research into early maturing varieties and model nurseries as source of quality planting materials; domestication and production by farmers in orchards; aggregation centres for assurance of volumes and quality; processing and value addition; and linkages to domestic and export markets.