INTERNATIONAL horticulture buyers from the European Union (EU), the United Kingdom, Germany and Kenya have expressed confidence in the quality of Zimbabwe’s produce, signalling plans to establish long-term trade partnerships with local farmers.
Zimbabwe’s horticultural export earnings tripled to US$181,7 million in 2025, up from US$59,8 million in 2024, largely driven by a surge in blueberry exports to EU markets.
Eight buyers from the UK, EU and Kenya are spending the week touring 11 farms and food businesses that have prepared their products for export through the International Trade Centre (ITC).
The visit is part of efforts to link Zimbabwean horticulture producers directly with international buyers as the country seeks to expand exports and unlock new markets for high-value agricultural products.
The initiative is funded by the United Kingdom and implemented by the ITC under the UK Trade Partnership Programme.
Since 2019, the programme has supported Zimbabwean small and medium-sized enterprises in the horticulture sector to become export-ready and access markets in the UK and EU.
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Speaking to NewsDay during a tour of farms in the Mvurwi area, Jarmila Sarda, programme manager for the UK Trade Partnership Programme in the ITC’s Sector and Enterprise Competitiveness Division, said Zimbabwean farmers had demonstrated strong export potential and the engagement could lead to long-term partnerships.
“We have been working with farmers and producers across Zimbabwe and have seen that the facilities are excellent and ready to access export markets,” Sarda said.
“They have the certifications and products that are in demand in the EU and the UK, but what they sometimes lack are lasting market linkages. That is why we are here — to help them find these markets.”
Sarda said the ITC facilitates connections between Zimbabwean producers and international buyers through trade shows in Europe and buyer missions such as the current visit.
“One of the main challenges farmers face is access to finance. Many also struggle to obtain the certifications required for certain markets because they are costly and require significant investment,” she said.
German buyer and founder of AfriCrops, Heinrich Heinrichs, said Zimbabwe and other African countries are well-positioned to supply niche organic products to global markets.
“We are looking at niche products of African origin such as moringa, oleifera and baobab. Our focus is on organic production because we believe demand for organic products will continue to grow in international markets,” Heinrichs said.
“As we have seen with this delegation, there is already strong production that can be absorbed by the European market. The focus is currently on the UK, but also on other countries such as Germany. Zimbabwe is well prepared to supply these markets.”
He added that African countries would increasingly play a key role in supplying high-quality agricultural products globally.
California Estate managing director Shaun Philp said his company supplies produce mainly to EU and Asian markets and welcomed the buyer engagement initiative.
California Estate and Forrester Estate grow a variety of crops, including blueberries, peppers, peas and maize.
“We grow peas across 70 hectares in California and Forrester Estates, targeting yields of about 12 tonnes annually. For peppers, we process them in brine before sending them to Harare, where they are canned for export to Germany and distributed across Europe,” Philp said.
However, he said access to affordable finance remained the sector’s biggest challenge.
“The major challenge is cash-flow financing. It is difficult to borrow because we do not hold title deeds to the land. When loans are available, interest rates can be as high as 18% to 19%, which makes borrowing very tough,” he said.
Philp noted that offshore loans offered lower interest rates of around 7%, but they often tied farmers to specific buyers.
“You can secure offshore finance and supply those lenders with produce, but you are locked into selling through them. It helps finance part of the crop, but it limits flexibility,” he said.
Valerie and Tafadzwa Madziva, owners of Eden Chase, said the UK-ITC partnership had opened new export opportunities for their horticultural business.
“We are mainly involved in horticultural production for export, focusing on melons, peas and blueberries. We export to the Middle East and Europe and recently secured an opportunity to start exporting to the UK through support from the UK Trade Partnership Programme and ITC,” they said.
“They have supported us by linking us directly with buyers, which has been very beneficial. We are privileged to have secured such an opportunity.”
However, the farmers echoed concerns about limited access to funding needed to expand production.