Browse Data and Analysis

The Caribbean Basin region continues to experience growth, driven primarily by the steady rise in tourism, which in turn impacts consumer demand.

In a budget bill passed on June 13, 2025, the semi-autonomous Zanzibar government raised the excise duty on imported frozen chicken from approximately USD $0.12 per kilogram to approximately USD $0.39 per kilogram, with a double aim to protect the domestic poultry industry and generate USD $2.75 million in revenue.

Zanzibar presents strong potential for U.S. food and beverage exports, driven by tourism, urbanization, and demand for quality products. With over 80 percent of food imported, key opportunities include beverages, wheat, poultry, oil, confectioneries, and rice.

Tanzania retail food industry is experiencing robust growth, driven by rapid urbanization, an expanding middle class (22 percent of households), rising disposable incomes, and a thriving tourism sector that welcomed 5 million visitors in 2024.

As of May 10, 2025, Costa Rica’s National Animal Health Service (SENASA) has streamlined the facility registration process for U.S. dairy products.

Despite market volatility, and unstable policies, the European Union remains the largest importer of Tanzanian green coffee beans, buying six times as many beans as the United States.

FAS/San José projects marketing year 2025/2026 coffee production to decline by 10 percent as a result of the effects of the biennial coffee production cycle, after a high production year in 2024/2025.

FAS/San José expects sugar production in marketing year 2024/2025 to decline by seven percent to 394,000 metric tons (MT). Lower production is the result of adverse weather conditions during the development stage of the sugarcane, as well as during the early stages of the harvest.

FAS Dar es Salaam expects a ten percent decline in corn exports for marketing year (MY) 2025/26 as production decreases and strict export permit procedures continue to stymie shipments.

This report highlights the food processing industry, its drivers, key players, and market landscape in the Caribbean Basin. The region relies heavily on imports, and the United States is the largest supplier of food ingredients.

Zanzibar's HRI food service sector has grown significantly, with a 37 percent increase in hotel and lodging facilities in the past five years.

This report supplements the FAIRS Annual Country Report for Tanzania and provides essential information about the required certificates for exporting food and agricultural products to mainland Tanzania.