This fresh vegetables export guide explains how Kilima Commodities supplies bell peppers, Irish potatoes, tomatoes and onions to wholesale markets, processors and importers in Israel, the Gulf and the region: sizing and grading, cooling, packing, reefer transport and the phytosanitary documents for each shipment.
Fresh vegetables from the East African highlands
Kilima Commodities supplies four fresh vegetables in wholesale and export volumes: bell peppers, Irish potatoes, tomatoes and onions. Bell peppers and Irish potatoes are our core lines, with regular customers in Israel as well as in regional markets.
The produce comes from the highlands of Tanzania and neighbouring Kenya and Uganda. Altitude gives warm days and cool nights close to the equator, and irrigation extends supply through the dry months. For buyers, that means fresh vegetables in periods when other origins are short.
Bell peppers
We supply blocky sweet peppers in red, yellow and green, sorted to Class I or Class II and sized M, L and XL. Fruit is harvested at the colour the customer will sell, cooled within hours and held at 7–10 °C. Peppers are packed in 5 kg ventilated cartons for export or 10 kg crates for regional delivery, and travel by air or by reefer container depending on the distance.
Our bell pepper export guide sets out nine steps from choosing colours to clearing the first shipment, with notes for buyers in Israel and the Gulf.
Irish potatoes
We supply table potatoes, unwashed, brushed or washed, and processing potatoes selected for chips and crisps. Tubers come from the Southern Highlands around Njombe and Mbeya, are harvested with a mature, set skin and are graded by size: medium at 45–65 mm and large at 65–90 mm. Regional orders move by truck in 50 kg to 100 kg sacks; overseas orders ship in smaller sacks or cartons in reefer containers.
Potatoes are tightly regulated for plant health, so the first step is always to confirm that the destination admits them. The Irish potato export guide covers the eight steps in detail.
Tomatoes
We supply Roma, round, beefsteak, cherry and vine tomatoes. Roma is the main type for transport and cooking because of its firm, thick walls. Tomatoes are picked from breaker to light-red stage so that they arrive firm, packed in cartons or ventilated crates and kept at 10–13 °C. They are mainly a regional product, moving weekly to wholesale markets, processors and food service. See the tomatoes page.
Onions
We supply cured Red Creole and yellow bulb onions, graded by diameter and packed in 10 kg, 25 kg or 50 kg mesh bags. Properly cured onions with closed necks and dry skins keep for two to four months in ventilated storage and travel well by truck or in ventilated containers. The main harvest runs through the dry season. See the onions page.
Garlic and ginger
Fresh garlic and ginger are listed with our spices and can be loaded with vegetable orders for regional delivery.
How we keep vegetables fresh
- Harvest timing. Each crop is cut at the stage that suits the journey, in the cool of the day.
- Sorting. Produce is sorted by size, colour and condition; damaged, diseased and off-size pieces are removed.
- Cooling. Peppers and tomatoes are pre-cooled and kept in the cold chain. Potatoes and onions are kept cool, dark, dry and ventilated.
- Packing. Ventilated cartons, crates and mesh bags protect the product and let it breathe.
- Traceability. Packs carry a lot code linking them to the farm and harvest date.
Export and regional supply
Regional buyers in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and neighbouring countries take truckloads, with minimum orders from 500 kg to 5 tonnes depending on the product. Export buyers take pallets by air or full reefer containers.
Every export consignment carries a phytosanitary certificate and certificate of origin. Many destinations also require an import permit, obtained by the importer, and apply residue limits. Our market guides explain the requirements for Israel, Europe and Asia and the Middle East.
Seasons and prices
Peppers, tomatoes and potatoes are available in most months, and onions peak from July to November. Each product page shows whether the crop is in season now, and the harvest calendar shows the full year. Fresh prices change weekly with supply and weather, so we confirm the price for each loading.
How to order
Open a product, choose the type and enter your quantity, then send a WhatsApp message or trade inquiry with your delivery point. For a first export order we recommend a trial shipment to test the route before starting a weekly programme. Our trade terms explain quotations, inspection and claims.
Fresh Vegetables: products, grades and specifications
The table of contents above links to each product. Every section gives the essentials; the product page has the full specification sheet, packing options and an inquiry form.
Bell Peppers
Bell peppers in red, yellow and green from the northern highlands of Tanzania, sorted by size and packed in ventilated crates or cartons, cold-chain ready for wholesale and export.
- Origin: Arusha & Kilimanjaro Regions, Tanzania
- Grades and types: Red · Yellow · Green
- Minimum order: 500 kg per colour
- Packing: 5 kg ventilated cartons or 10 kg ventilated plastic crates
- Season: Year-round
- HS code: 0709.60
See the full bell peppers specifications and prices, or read the bell peppers buyer guide.
Irish Potatoes
Irish potatoes for table and processing use from the Southern Highlands of Tanzania, supplied cleaned or unwashed and graded by tuber size for wholesale and export.
- Origin: Njombe & Mbeya (Southern Highlands), Tanzania
- Grades and types: Table — unwashed · Table — cleaned · Processing
- Minimum order: 5 MT
- Packing: 50 kg to 100 kg breathable woven or mesh sacks; 10–25 kg cartons or mesh bags for export
- Season: Year-round
- HS code: 0701.90
See the full irish potatoes specifications and prices, or read the irish potatoes buyer guide.
Tomatoes
Fresh tomatoes of every type — Roma, round, beefsteak, cherry and vine — sorted by size and maturity for wholesale and regional supply.
- Origin: Iringa, Morogoro & Arusha (Tanzania) · Kirinyaga & Kajiado (Kenya) · Central Uganda
- Grades and types: Roma (Plum) · Round (Slicing) · Beefsteak · Cherry · Vine (Cluster)
- Minimum order: 1 MT
- Packing: 5–6 kg cartons, 20–40 kg ventilated plastic crates, punnets for cherry
- Season: Year-round
- HS code: 0702.00
See the full tomatoes specifications and prices.
Onions
Cured Red Creole and yellow bulb onions, graded by bulb diameter and packed in 10 kg to 50 kg mesh bags for wholesale and regional trade.
- Origin: Mang'ola (Karatu) & Singida, Tanzania
- Grades and types: Red Creole · Yellow
- Minimum order: 5 MT
- Packing: 10 kg, 25 kg or 50 kg mesh (leno) bags
- Season: July – November
- HS code: 0703.10
See the full onions specifications and prices.
Terms, quality and shipping
Every fresh vegetables order is quoted EXW, FOB or CIF; EXW, FOB or CIF explained shows where cost and risk pass to you. Payment, inspection and claims are set out in our trade terms; testing and certificates in quality and compliance; ports, containers and transit times in shipping and logistics. For destination rules, see our export market guides, and for the order process, how to import from East Africa.
Sources and further reading
- Bell pepper (Wikipedia)
- Codex Alimentarius food standards
- Potato (Wikipedia)
- Tomato (Wikipedia)
- Onion (Wikipedia)
- ICC Incoterms® rules
- ITC Trade Map: trade statistics by product and country
Request a quote
Browse all Fresh Vegetables in the catalog, or tell the trade desk the product, grade, quantity and destination. We reply with availability and the current price. More product families are listed in our commodity buyer guides.