Zimtrade has urged farmers in the Midlands and Matabeleland regions to explore opportunities in export markets for horticulture produce to boost the country’s foreign currency reserves.
BY MTHANDAZO NYONI
In its monthly report, ZimTrade, the country’s exports promotion body, said in the past, Matabeleland region used to export paprika, peas and bird’s eye chillies, while Midlands farmers exported cut-flowers to the European Union (EU).
“The EU market offers great opportunities for produce such as mange tout, (one of the top export products of Zimbabwe), as current supply is failing to satisfy demand. An increasing demand in organic produce has also offered a niche market for exporters,” reads the report in part.
“Producers are encouraged to form producer clusters in order to take advantage of economies of scale when purchasing inputs, negotiating selling prices and costs of logistics.”
The model, the report said, has been successful in countries such as the Netherlands and Costa Rica among others.
“To successfully penetrate export markets, farmers need to ensure that their produce meets quality and food safety standards such as Global Gap and British Retail Consortium certifications which assure the market that the produce is safe for human consumption,” ZimTrade said.
Zimbabwe was once a major exporter of horticultural produce to the EU, generating export revenue of $143 million in 1999 and 2000, but this declined to $83 million in 2016 due to various reasons including logistical challenges, lack of access to finance and technical expertise, ZimTrade said.
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To assist horticultural farmers with technical expertise to improve productivity, ZimTrade engaged PUM experts.
Since 2016, producers of onion, bananas and mange tout have been capacitated, it said.
Other initiatives carried out for this sector included a learning visit to Fruit Logistica in Germany.
This year, ZimTrade conducted seminars in Bulawayo and Gweru for horticulture farmers, funding institutions and agricultural extension services’ representatives to deliberate on how best the region can contribute to the horticultural exports for the country.
