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Tourism in Tanzania has been on the rise since late 1990s when the markets were fully liberalized. This has created a high demand for horticultural produces from tourist hotels located in Serengeti national park in the northwest of Tanzania. Analysis was carried out to determine supply and demand for horticultural produces in Mara region. The annual requirements for horticulture produces in three Serengeti tourist hotels were about 614 tons. These hotels obtain most of the fruits and vegetables from Arusha, Kenya and South Africa which are very far from the park. Due to long distances and poor roads the hotels obtain high priced, low quality and small quantities of produces. The production of horticulture in Mara region is about 620 tons which is more than what is demanded by the hotels. The major problems hindering horticulture production in Mara region include unstable markets, erratic prices and low demand for horticulture produces. The tourist hotels demand locally produced, regular supply, fresh and medium quality horticulture produces while farmers want regular markets for their produces. The Gross Margin analysis indicated that supplier gross profit and growers’ return to labour are high with horticultural crops as compared to other crops. The study recommends that the hotels and growers establish contract agreement to enhance reliable deliveries. To improve production and entrepreneurial skills of the farmers; management support at the beginning of implementation from extension, research, credit and irrigation schemes from local institutions would be necessary. Keywords: Mara Fruits, Tourism, Serengeti, Tanzania |
