How does the bulk procurement system work?

Importers submit their DAP and urea requirements to the Tanzania Fertilizer Regulatory Authority with a bank guarantee. TFRA pools them and tenders the volume among pre-qualified international suppliers; the winning cargo is imported for all participants and bagged at Dar es Salaam under TFRA and Tanzania Bureau of Standards supervision. A supplier must be pre-qualified to bid; CBIL quotes pre-qualified importers and suppliers and does not bid in government tenders itself.

Are prices controlled?

TFRA publishes indicative wholesale and retail prices for each fertiliser by bag size and region, and sales outside them need its authorisation. The tables for the 2026-2027 season took effect on 30 September 2026. An importer prices its purchase against those tables, so the CFR value and the timing of arrival both matter.

Which origins can replace Saudi DAP?

Morocco already supplied a fifth of Tanzania's DAP. Jordan loads at Aqaba on the Red Sea, the shortest haul, and Egypt loads on the Red Sea and Mediterranean. Each offer names the producer and the load port.

Does Dar es Salaam also serve neighbouring countries?

Yes. Dar es Salaam is a transit port for the landlocked countries behind it, and fertiliser in transit is declared separately from Tanzania's own bulk procurement volume. State the final destination, because the documents and the bagging differ.

Can CBIL also fix the ship?

Yes. Our chartering desk, LaycanDesk, prices fertiliser tonnage to Mombasa and Dar es Salaam, so a CFR and an FOB figure can be shown side by side.

East Africa · Tanzania

DAP Suppliers CFR Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

A bulk-procurement market: pooled import requirements, one cargo, bagged under supervision at the port

Tanzania declared 107,300 t of DAP imports in 2025 at a landed value of USD 78.9 million, about USD 735 per tonne, after 110,800 t in 2024. Saudi Arabia supplied 84,300 t in 2025 (79%) and Morocco 22,000 t (20%). Saudi phosphate loads inside the Gulf. The Strait of Hormuz has been severely restricted since 28 February 2026: loadings inside the Gulf move irregularly and are confirmed cargo by cargo. DAP and urea are imported under the Fertilizer Bulk Procurement System set up by regulations of 2017: the Tanzania Fertilizer Regulatory Authority (TFRA) collects importers' requirements, backed by bank guarantees, and puts the pooled volume to tender among pre-qualified suppliers, and the bulk cargo is bagged at Dar es Salaam under TFRA and Tanzania Bureau of Standards supervision. TFRA also issues indicative wholesale and retail prices by bag size; the tables for the 2026-2027 season took effect on 30 September 2026. The country uses more than 1 million t of fertiliser a year, 84% of it imported, about two-fifths of that from the Middle East before the restriction, and the state-owned Tanzania Fertilizer Company holds reserve stock. Some Saudi product has reached East Africa in 2026 through Omani ports.

Dar es Salaam's harbour basin and berths 1 to 7 are dredged to 14.5 m, and berths 1 to 4 handle dry bulk and breakbulk. Planting follows two patterns: the bimodal north plants for the long rains from March and the short rains from October, and the unimodal south and west plant from November. CBIL brokers DAP 18-46-0 (N 18% min, P2O5 46% min, moisture 1.5% max, 2-4 mm 90% min) in 15,000 to 30,000 t bulk lots CFR Dar es Salaam, loading Jorf Lasfar in Morocco, Aqaba in Jordan and the Egyptian Red Sea ports, with SGS or Intertek certification at load and the producer named on the certificate of origin. A pre-qualified importer that states its tonnage, laycan and LC-opening bank gets a firm answer; one without them gets a question first.

Also on this lane: Granular Urea

Need the ship as well? Our chartering desk prices DAP and urea freight to Mombasa and Dar es Salaam on LaycanDesk.

The market in figures

Declared imports: 2025: 107,300 t, USD 78.9 million, USD 735/t · 2024: 110,800 t
Origins, 2025: Saudi Arabia 84,300 t (79%) · Morocco 22,000 t (20%)
How it is bought: TFRA Bulk Procurement System (2017 regulations): pooled requirements, pre-qualified suppliers, bagging under TFRA and TBS supervision
Prices: TFRA indicative wholesale and retail prices; 2026-2027 season tables in effect from 30 September 2026
Discharge: Dar es Salaam, berths 1-7 dredged to 14.5 m
National demand: Over 1 Mt of fertiliser a year, 84% imported

Landed values are the importing country's declared CIF, not CBIL prices.

Questions buyers ask

How does the bulk procurement system work?: Importers submit their DAP and urea requirements to the Tanzania Fertilizer Regulatory Authority with a bank guarantee. TFRA pools them and tenders the volume among pre-qualified international suppliers; the winning cargo is imported for all participants and bagged at Dar es Salaam under TFRA and Tanzania Bureau of Standards supervision. A supplier must be pre-qualified to bid; CBIL quotes pre-qualified importers and suppliers and does not bid in government tenders itself.
Are prices controlled?: TFRA publishes indicative wholesale and retail prices for each fertiliser by bag size and region, and sales outside them need its authorisation. The tables for the 2026-2027 season took effect on 30 September 2026. An importer prices its purchase against those tables, so the CFR value and the timing of arrival both matter.
Which origins can replace Saudi DAP?: Morocco already supplied a fifth of Tanzania's DAP. Jordan loads at Aqaba on the Red Sea, the shortest haul, and Egypt loads on the Red Sea and Mediterranean. Each offer names the producer and the load port.
Does Dar es Salaam also serve neighbouring countries?: Yes. Dar es Salaam is a transit port for the landlocked countries behind it, and fertiliser in transit is declared separately from Tanzania's own bulk procurement volume. State the final destination, because the documents and the bagging differ.
Can CBIL also fix the ship?: Yes. Our chartering desk, LaycanDesk, prices fertiliser tonnage to Mombasa and Dar es Salaam, so a CFR and an FOB figure can be shown side by side.