The Tanzania Coffee Board is a government body established in terms of Section 3 of the Coffee Industry Act No. 23 of 2001. Its functions as set out in Section 5 of the Coffee Industry Act No. 23 of 2001, as amended by the Crops Laws Amendment Act No. 20 of 2009, are to exercise regulatory functions and provide advice to the Government on all matters relating to the development of the coffee sector. As a regulator, the main role of the TCB is to ensure that the Coffee Industry operates in compliance with the Coffee Industry Act and its regulations, and in accordance with other national and international regulatory policies and standards.
TCB has undergone three (3) major transformations since 1976 when it was first established as the Tanzania Coffee Authority (CAT). CAT was responsible for training, management of extension services, procurement of coffee inputs, and expansion of coffee production area. CAT successfully carried out its functions under two major projects, the Coffee Improvement Programme (CIP) and the Coffee Development Programme (CDP), which were supported by the European Economic Community (EEC).
The second reform occurred in 1984 when CAT was transformed into the Tanzania Coffee Marketing Board (TCMB). It had the same regulatory role as CAT and the role of stimulating coffee markets. This change was necessary because CAT did not have the financial capacity to continue funding the CIP and CDP projects, which ended in 1984. It also aimed to re-establish cooperatives in Tanzania.
The third reform occurred in 1993 when the TCMB was transformed into the Tanzania Coffee Board (TCB) in response to the liberalization policies and the introduction of a liberal economy in the 1990s. As a result, the TCMB was removed from all trade-related functions. The enactment of the Coffee Industry Act No. 23 of 2001 restricted the TCB from carrying out commercial functions, relegating it to policy, regulatory, and coordination functions only. In 2009, amendments to the Coffee Industry Act No. 23 of 2001 were followed by the enactment of the Crops Laws Amendment Act No. 20 of 2009, which revised the funding structure and functions of the Crops Boards.
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