Summary
The exercise targets individuals and companies involved in the harvesting, transportation, processing and trade of forest and beekeeping products, requiring them to register and obtain the necessary operating licences.
DAR ES SALAAM: The Tanzania Forest Services Agency (TFS) has officially launched the registration and licensing exercise for all stakeholders engaged in the forest products business across the country for the 2026/27 financial year.
The exercise targets individuals and companies involved in the harvesting, transportation, processing and trade of forest and beekeeping products, requiring them to register and obtain the necessary operating licences.
Speaking at the 50th Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair (DITF), popularly known as Sabasaba, TFS Senior Conservator Ms. Bhoke Masisi urged all eligible stakeholders to take advantage of the exercise and register their businesses.
“One of the key services we’re providing during this year’s Sabasaba exhibition is the registration of stakeholders engaged in the forest products business,” Masisi said.
Masisi, who also serves as a TFS Licensing Officer, encouraged traders to use the trade fair as an opportunity to complete the registration process quickly and conveniently.
“The TFS booth is located within the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism’s main pavilion at the exhibition grounds. We invite all stakeholders to visit us and register their businesses,” she said.
She added that registration services are also available at all TFS regional and district offices across the country, ensuring wider access for stakeholders unable to attend the exhibition.
According to her, TFS has introduced a user-friendly digital system to make the registration process more efficient, professional and faster, enabling stakeholders to obtain licences with greater ease while improving compliance in the forestry sector.
In further efforts to monitor forest products trade, including the harvesting and transportation of forest products, TFS has installed a tailor-made cloud-connected system.
Dubbed the “Forest Resources Management Information System” (FOMIS), the system also promotes accountability and transparency among all players involved in the key trades.
Together with that, TFS has also installed a number of checkpoints across the country to ensure traders conduct their business as per the set regulations and standards.
As per the set TFS’s regulations, the stakeholders in the relevant trade must meet a number of criteria and undergo a process before being permitted to venture into forest resource trades.
For instance, to be licensed to harvest and transport forest products, applicant traders normally undergo a special vetting exercise by TFS officers and the relevant district tree harvesting committees.
After the vetting, the district tree harvesting committees, often chaired by district commissioners, are mandated to approve the names of those cleared for the trade.
