Seaweed Farming Zanzibar: Farm and Export Licences, Prices, ZASCO and the Chamanangwe Factory, and the Mainland Aquaculture Permits for Spinosum and Cottonii

This guide sets out seaweed farming Zanzibar rules and the Mainland rules as they stand on 29 October 2026 for spinosum (Eucheuma denticulatum) and cottonii (Kappaphycus alvarezii). It covers the licensing desks, prices, the state seaweed company, taxes, production and export data, and a costed 50 tonne sale. Zanzibar's primary instruments are thin online, and we say plainly where we could not confirm a point.

What the law says

Fisheries is not a Union matter. Zanzibar and the Mainland each regulate seaweed under their own fisheries law. Customs, export tax and income tax are Union matters and run through TRA on both sides.

• Zanzibar: the Fisheries Act No. 7 of 2010. The Act passed the House of Representatives on 31 March 2010 and repealed the 1988 Act. Section 3 defines "aquatic flora" to cover all aquatic plants, which takes in seaweed. The Act never uses the word "seaweed".
• Sale and export powers in Zanzibar. Section 7(c) and (d) let the Minister impose conditions, by notice in the Gazette, on selling, marketing, importing and exporting aquatic flora. Section 34(1) lets the Minister make regulations on the cultivation of aquatic flora, its sale, its import and export, and licence fees.
• Mainland: the Fisheries Act, Cap. 279. The Fisheries Regulations, GN 308 of 2009 deal with seaweed by name. Regulation 43 sets the conditions for establishing a seaweed farm. Regulation 13(3) requires an export licence from the Director of Fisheries.
• Mainland aquaculture fees. The Fisheries (Aquaculture) Regulations, GN 885 of 2024, carry the current aquaculture permit and export fees (register F0780 and NEW-07-16). We could not read their full text, so we cannot say which parts of GN 308 they replaced.

Zanzibar's House of Representatives received a Fisheries Development and Marine Conservation Authority Bill, 2026 in September 2026, as The Citizen reported. We found no published text and no record that it has passed. If it creates a new licensing authority, the Zanzibar desks below will change.

Who should read this

• Seaweed farmer groups and cooperatives in Unguja and Pemba, and on the Mainland coast at Tanga, Pangani, Bagamoyo, Mafia and Kilwa;
• Buyers and exporters of dried spinosum and cottonii, including foreign-owned trading companies;
• Processors and investors pricing a carrageenan, powder or fertiliser plant;
• Lenders and development partners financing boats, drying racks and contract farming.

Read our map of fisheries and aquaculture licensing first if you also farm or trade fish. Seaweed sits inside the same two fisheries systems.

How do Zanzibar and the Mainland compare?

The two sides share a customs union but not a fisheries regulator.

Who licenses seaweed farming in Zanzibar?

The Ministry of Blue Economy and Fisheries does, through its Department of Fisheries Development. Under section 14(3) and (4) of the 2010 Act, applications go to a licensing officer that the Director designates, or to the Director.

The Act's licence section speaks of fishing vessels. It does not expressly name seaweed farms. The power to license cultivation comes through regulations under section 34(1)(y). We could not find published Zanzibar aquaculture or seaweed regulations, so we cannot cite a regulation number for the farm licence.

What the field record shows is this. An IUCN case study of 2020 lists Zanzibar seaweed farming as running on a "public licence". It counted more than 16,000 mostly family farms, about 80% of them run by women. Farms inside a Marine Conservation Area also fall under the Marine Conservation Unit Regulations, 2014 and the Department of Fisheries Development.

• Site. Ask the district fisheries office and the shehia which plots of the intertidal zone are open to farming.
• Conservation areas. Inside a Marine Conservation Area, follow that area's management plan and its zoning.
• Penalties. Section 29 punishes breaches of the licensing sections with a fine of TZS 100,000 to TZS 5 million, three months to two years in prison, or both. Section 30(3) sets the general penalty at TZS 100,000 to TZS 1 million.

Do seaweed buyers and exporters need a licence in Zanzibar?

Yes, in practice, but the instrument is not public. Sections 7(c), 7(d) and 34(1)(k) and (p) give the Minister power to regulate the sale and export of aquatic flora. We found no Gazette notice or regulation published online that sets a seaweed buyer licence, an export permit or a levy.

A Zanzibar exporter's file usually holds:

• a company formed at BPRA, as our guide to registering in Zanzibar explains;
• a Zanzibar business licence and a ZRA registration;
• written authority from the Department of Fisheries Development to buy and export seaweed;
• a plant health or quality certificate where the buyer's country asks for one;
• a TRA customs export entry, because customs is a Union matter.

A 2021 REPOA and ISS study for the EU TradeCom II programme found that a farmer group obtained an export licence "from the government" without naming the desk. It also reported Zanzibar Bureau of Standards certification charges and a phytosanitary certificate charge for each consignment. Those figures are five years old. The authority assesses the current charge on filing.

No state monopoly. Seaweed is not cloves. Our guide to Zanzibar clove trade rules explains the ZSTC monopoly on cloves. We found no law that gives ZSTC or any other body a monopoly on seaweed. ZSTC is a minority shareholder in ZASCO, and that is its only seaweed role we could confirm.

Is there a minimum or indicative seaweed price in Zanzibar?

No, on everything we could find. Buyers and the world market set the farm-gate price.

• March 2025. Farmers told The Guardian that spinosum fetched TZS 700 a kilo. They asked the government for an indicative price of TZS 3,000. Cottonii growers asked for TZS 2,000 in place of TZS 1,000.
• April 2026. Coastal groups in Tanga and Pemba again asked for indicative prices for seaweed, The Guardian reported. One speaker said Zanzibar had begun exploring a mechanism. No official committed to one.
• Government figures. Zanzibar officials told The Chanzo in February 2024 that the price rose from TZS 375 a kilo in 2013 to TZS 1,000 in 2023. A ZASCO spokesman said prices follow the world market.

The Zanzibar Blue Economy Policy of October 2020 explains why. Companies supply inputs and farmers sell back to them at a pre-set price. The policy says those buyers hold monopsony power and may act as cartels. It proposes market support and value addition, not a fixed price.

Spinosum and cottonii trade at different prices. Spinosum yields iota-carrageenan and grows more easily. Cottonii yields kappa-carrageenan, fails more often in warm water and earns more a kilo. Any contract should name the species, the moisture limit and the price per kilo of dry weight.

What does ZASCO do, and is the Chamanangwe factory open?

The Zanzibar Seaweed Company Limited (ZASCO) was registered on 17 January 2022 under Zanzibar's Companies Act No. 15 of 2013. Its own page calls it a government-owned entity. Its shareholders are ZSSF (51%), the Zanzibar Ports Corporation (25%), ZSTC (13%) and the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation (11%). It operates under the Ministry of Trade and Industrial Development.

ZASCO buys seaweed in competition with private exporters. In February 2023 its Director General told the Daily News that its entry had lifted spinosum from TZS 700 to TZS 1,000 a kilo and cottonii from TZS 1,800 to TZS 2,100. It had also bought 1,200 tonnes of Ulva, a seaweed once treated as beach waste, at TZS 800 a kilo.

The factory. ZASCO is building a processing plant at Chamanangwe in Wete District, North Pemba. Its site says the plant will make refined carrageenan with Nutri-San Limited, a UK company. In August 2026 the Second Vice President ordered the work fast-tracked. The Daily News reported these points:

• the plant cost TZS 15.9 billion and MGR Investment built it;
• it will take over 40,000 kg of raw seaweed a day;
• it will make seaweed powder, animal feed and up to 22,000 litres of liquid fertiliser;
• machinery was being installed, with operation expected by December 2026.

The plant was earlier expected to start in mid-2025, so treat December 2026 as a target.

How is seaweed farming licensed on the Mainland?

The Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries treats seaweed as aquaculture. Its permits page lists mwani among the organisms its aquaculture division covers.

Regulation 43 of GN 308 of 2009 sets four conditions before a seaweed farm is set up:

• a permit from the local government authority;
• approval of the site by the relevant authorities;
• a permit from an authorised officer of the locality;
• technical advice from an authorised officer.

Farms must not block passage or sit in critical habitats, and seaweed must be dried hygienically. Regulation 45 lets investors partner with local farmers under a written agreement.

The commercial tier. A commercial aquaculture establishment needs a permit costing TZS 100,000 a year for citizens and TZS 250,000 for foreigners (F0780). The ministry issues it after a site inspection. Its page asks for a business plan, an environmental assessment, proof of land or site rights and, for foreigners, work, residence and investment permits. Registration of an aquaculture establishment is free.

Export. An exporter needs the aquaculture export licence and an export permit for each consignment. The permit requires a commercial aquaculture permit, so a trader buying from smallholders should confirm how the ministry treats that condition. In its budget speech of 14 May 2026, the ministry said it issued 76 permits to export dried seaweed in 2025/26. It also issued nine licences to export seaweed.

Reserved activities. GN 487A of 2025 closes on-farm crop purchasing to non-citizens (NEW-08-14). Whether buying seaweed at the farm counts as crop purchasing is not settled. A foreign-owned buyer should take advice before it sends agents to the beach.

Unlicensed export is an offence under regulation 13(4) of GN 308. The fine is at least TZS 1 million, or at least one year in prison, or both. Our page on the fish export licence covers the competent authority for fishery products.

What does a Mainland seaweed export cost in government fees?

Every figure below comes from Zatra's fee register at 26 September 2026. The control number governs on the day of payment.

The 2% export permit is the largest line on most shipments. The register and the ministry page differ on the movement permit, so ask the district fisheries officer which applies before you move a lorry.

The ministry's page does not say whether the 2% is charged on the invoice, FOB or another value. Ask before you price a contract.

Which taxes apply: ZRA, TRA and the Union line?

Customs and income tax are Union matters. VAT and most local levies are not. Our guide to Union and non-Union taxes sets out the split.

• Export tax. Seaweed is not on the export tax list in TRA's Taxes and Duties at a Glance 2025/26. The Finance Act 2026 additions do not include it (F0337 to F0339).
• VAT in Zanzibar. ZRA charges 15% on domestic supplies, with registration at TZS 100 million a year (F0246). TRA's guide lists exports of goods from Zanzibar at 0%.
• VAT on the Mainland. 18% on domestic supplies; exported goods are zero-rated (F0343). Our VAT comparison covers the thresholds.
• Income tax. TRA assesses income tax on exporters on both sides.
• Zanzibar levies. We found no published Zanzibar export levy or royalty on seaweed. Ask ZRA and the ministry whether one applies before you price a contract.

How much seaweed does Tanzania produce and export?

The figures come from different bodies on different bases. Some count wet weight, some dried weight, and some count only exports.

The Bank of Tanzania's Monthly Economic Review for September 2026 shows Zanzibar seaweed export value down 57.4% in the year to August 2026. It gives no reason. In March 2026 The Guardian reported a rise in an earlier review, so wait for the annual figures before drawing a trend.

The ministry's figure works out at about TZS 105 a kilo, which suggests wet weight. The speech does not say whether it includes Zanzibar. It calls Tanzania Africa's leading seaweed producer. A REPOA policy brief of September 2025 put Mainland output at 4,678 tonnes in 2022 and Zanzibar's dried output above 16,000 tonnes in 2023. On dried export volumes, Zanzibar has long led.

Which markets buy Tanzanian seaweed?

Most seaweed leaves Tanzania raw, for refining into carrageenan abroad. Zahor Kassim El-Kharousy, deputy principal secretary in Zanzibar's blue economy ministry, put the share of raw exports at 99%. He spoke to Xinhua on 28 October 2026, ahead of the China International Import Expo that opens on 5 November.

• China. Officials call it an important destination. China has removed tariffs on eligible Tanzanian goods, but the benefit depends on product coverage and Chinese import rules.
• Mainland licences. The May 2026 budget speech lists China, South Africa, Spain, the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia, Kenya, Burundi, France, Korea and Denmark as destinations for the year's export licences.
• Zanzibar buyers. The 2021 REPOA study found Zanzibar exporters shipping to parent companies in the USA, France, Denmark and Spain, and to China, Korea and Vietnam.

Investing in processing: ZIPA, TISEZA and zones

A plant in Zanzibar registers with ZIPA. A plant on the Mainland goes to TISEZA under the Investment and Special Economic Zones Act, 2025.

ZIPA's investment guide of March 2023 cites the Zanzibar Investment Promotion and Protection Act No. 14 of 2018. It lists minimum capital outside hotels and real estate of USD 300,000 for foreigners and USD 100,000 for citizens. It names agriculture and fisheries as a priority sector for strategic investor status. It describes the Micheweni Free Economic Zone in north-east Pemba as suited to fish processing. Confirm the current figures with ZIPA, since the guide predates later amendments.

Our guide to investing through ZIPA explains why a TISEZA certificate does not reach the islands. A Mainland plant also needs an environmental certificate from NEMC and a water permit from the basin water board.

Worked example: a cooperative selling 50 tonnes of dried spinosum

Mwani Bora Cooperative is a hypothetical farmer group in South Unguja. It sells 50,000 kg of dried spinosum to a licensed Zanzibar exporter, which ships one consignment. Prices and the exchange rate are illustrative, not quotes.

The exporter's gross margin is TZS 25 million, or TZS 500 a kilo. It must cover drying loss, cleaning, bags, transport to the port, port and shipping charges, finance and price risk. The cooperative's members would earn about TZS 1,000 a kilo before their own costs.

The same shipment on the Mainland. A Tanga exporter, a small Tanzanian company, ships the same 50 tonnes. Its government charges would be:

• export permit at 2% of TZS 75,000,000: TZS 1,500,000 (NEW-07-16);
• health certificate: TZS 30,000 (NEW-07-16);
• movement permit at TZS 10 a kg if charged: TZS 500,000 (NEW-07-16);
• annual aquaculture export licence: TZS 100,000 (NEW-07-16);
• annual Class A export licence: TZS 100,000 (F0865).

That is TZS 2,230,000, or about TZS 45 a kilo, with the two annual licences paid once a year. Zatra's professional fee, if engaged, is quoted separately and is never part of these figures.

What to do now

1. Pick the side. Decide whether you farm, buy or process in Zanzibar or on the Mainland, because the licences do not cross the channel.
2. Form the company. Register at BPRA in Zanzibar or BRELA on the Mainland, and take the business licence.
3. Secure the site. Get the district, shehia or village consent for farm plots, and check any marine conservation area rules.
4. Apply for the fisheries papers. On the Mainland, take the commercial aquaculture permit and the export licence. In Zanzibar, ask the Department of Fisheries Development in writing which permits it requires of a buyer and exporter.
5. Write the contract. Name the species, moisture limit, sand and salt limits, price per dry kilo and who pays for a rejected lot.
6. Book the export papers. Apply for the consignment permit and health certificate, then give the clearing agent the papers for the TRA export entry.
7. Check the levies. Ask ZRA, the district and the ministry in writing whether any seaweed levy applies on your side.
8. Call an advocate on any seizure. Route a detained consignment, a prosecution or a contract dispute to an advocate before you respond.

Key dates

How Zatra helps

Zatra's agriculture and trade desk builds the file for seaweed buyers, exporters and processors on both sides. We form the company, take the business licence through our business licensing service, and prepare the aquaculture permit and export licence through our sector permits service. Our import and export compliance team lines up the consignment permit, certificates and customs file. Our export documentation guide shows the customs stack.

Two cost buckets stay separate. Permit, licence, certificate and levy charges are paid by the client to each authority at the official rate against its control number. Zatra's professional fee is agreed in writing; see pricing and the government fees handbook.

The authorities make every decision. Zatra prepares and coordinates the file; it does not decide or guarantee any authority's outcome. Seizures, prosecutions, licence cancellations, contract disputes and formal legal opinions go to the advocate on our team.

Sources and status

Accurate as at 29 October 2026. Settled: Zanzibar regulates seaweed under the Fisheries Act No. 7 of 2010, and the Mainland under Cap. 279 and its regulations; no export tax applies, and exports are zero-rated on both sides. Verify: Mainland fees, the movement permit charge, the base of the 2% permit, and ZIPA thresholds. Unknown: Zanzibar's seaweed buyer and export licence instrument, any Zanzibar seaweed levy, the fate of the 2026 Zanzibar fisheries bill, and the reason for the 2026 fall in exports.

• Fisheries Act No. 7 of 2010 (Zanzibar): FAOLEX copy, Act of 2010. Accessed 29 Oct 2026.
• Fisheries Regulations, GN 308 of 2009: FAOLEX copy, 28 Aug 2009. Accessed 29 Oct 2026.
• Vibali vya uvuvi na ukuzaji viumbe maji: Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, 2026. Accessed 29 Oct 2026.
• Budget speech of the Minister for Livestock and Fisheries, 2026/27: Parliament of Tanzania, 14 May 2026. Accessed 29 Oct 2026.
• Monthly Economic Review, September 2026: Bank of Tanzania, Table 3.3.2. Accessed 29 Oct 2026.
• Zanzibar Blue Economy Policy: Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, October 2020. Accessed 29 Oct 2026.
• Taxes and Duties at a Glance 2025/26: Tanzania Revenue Authority, July 2025. Accessed 29 Oct 2026.
• Investment Guide with Sector Profiles: Zanzibar: ZIPA, March 2023. Accessed 29 Oct 2026.
• About ZASCO: Zanzibar Seaweed Company Limited, 2025. Accessed 29 Oct 2026.
• Aquaculture and Marine Conservation: Zanzibar: IUCN, 2020. Accessed 29 Oct 2026.
• From Shores and Households to Markets: REPOA, September 2025. Accessed 29 Oct 2026.
• Daily News, 6 Feb 2023 and 6 Aug 2026; The Guardian, 24 Mar 2025 and 9 Apr 2026; The Chanzo, 28 Feb 2024; The Citizen, 14 Sep 2026; Xinhua, 28 Oct 2026; REPOA and ISS, July 2021: linked in the text. Accessed 29 Oct 2026.

Figures to confirm before you act

• Zanzibar licences: the buyer and export permit, its fee and the instrument behind it; ask the Department of Fisheries Development
• Zanzibar levies: any export levy, royalty or district charge on seaweed; ask ZRA and the district
• Movement permit: TZS 10 a kg in the register (NEW-07-16) against no fee on the ministry page
• Export permit base: whether the 2% runs on invoice or FOB value
• GN 885 of 2024: which parts of GN 308 of 2009 it replaced
• ZIPA thresholds and fees: the 2023 guide figures may have moved
• Chamanangwe plant: start date and buying terms for farmers
• Register lines cited: F0780, NEW-07-16, F0865, F0343, F0337 to F0339, F0544, F0246, NEW-08-01 and NEW-08-14 at 26 September 2026; the control number governs on payment

This article is general information based on official sources available at the date of publication. It is not legal, tax or financial advice. Laws and notices change. Verify with the issuing authority or consult Zatra before acting.