The Sunday Mail
Allan Majuru
ZIMBABWE’s favourable climatic conditions, which produce top-quality agricultural produce, has the potential to anchor national exports.
This is one of the reasons there has been renewed interest in the agriculture sector by the Second Republic, with several programmes and strategies having been adopted in the past few years. Government is focusing on implementing policies and providing relevant support to promote the horticulture sector, including providing incentives, improving infrastructure and facilitating market access.
Government has already introduced a US$30 million revolving credit facility for the sector. However, climate change poses a significant challenge to horticultural production in Africa.
Erratic weather patterns — including droughts, floods and heatwaves — can negatively impact crop yields and quality, leading to reduced productivity and increased production costs.
Increased investment in irrigation infrastructure, therefore, becomes important.
Government’s efforts to build dams such as Kunzvi, Musami, Vungu, Muchekeranwa, Gwayi-Shangani and Tugwi Mukosi are expected to significantly reduce water challenges experienced by horticultural producers countrywide.
The agriculture sector, particularly the horticulture sub-sector, presents opportunities for Zimbabwe to penetrate African markets and beyond.
According to Trade Map, Africa’s horticultural exports increased from the US$18,5 billion in 2019 to US$24,2 billion in 2023. Over the five-year period, a steady increase in exports of fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers and herbs within the region and beyond has been recorded, indicating that Africa has the potential to become a major player in the global horticultural export market.
Whilst Zimbabwe’s share of horticultural exports is low, relative to actual potential, the country has recorded significant strides in growing exports in the sector.
Exports of berries, including blueberries and strawberries, reached US$19,3 million in 2022, up from the US$6,1 million in 2018. Exports of fruits such as avocados, pineapples and mangoes grew to US$14,7 million in 2022, from around US$9,1 million the previous year.
Exports of cut flowers also grew to US$8,8 million in 2022, from US$8,1 million a year earlier.
Non-traditional export products from the sector have also been on an upward trajectory over the past few years.
For example, exports of dried legumes such as peas grew to US$3,2 million in 2022, from less than US$700 000 in 2018.
There is more potential for local farmers to increase production as leading buyers in Africa and beyond are eager to source from Zimbabwe.
Countries that led in horticultural exports by value in 2022 were South Africa (US$4,8 billion), Morocco (US$3,6 billion), Egypt (US$3,3 billion), Kenya (US$2,9 billion) and Ethiopia (US$2,3 billion).
These top five countries contributed 67 percent of Africa’s horticultural exports for the period.
Overall, the continent contributed 8 percent to the global economy’s horticultural exports.
Dynamics
South Africa’s diverse climate and fertile land allows the production of a wide range of horticultural products.
These include fruits like citrus, mangoes, pineapples and avocados, as well as vegetables, flowers and herbs.
These products can also perform well in Zimbabwean soils.
But South Africa’s horticultural exports increased marginally, by 0,05 percent, from 2021 to 2022, with the export of fresh oranges and mandarins taking the largest hit after the introduction of stricter phytosanitary requirements.
These new requirements enforced cold chain treatment of fruits exported to the European Union (EU) market amid severe domestic power supply challenges.
Recoveries were made from the export of grapes, apples, lemons and pears. Morocco is also considered the fourth-largest tomato exporter in the world. Its tomato exports, mainly to Europe, exceeded US$1 billion in 2022.
But the flooding experienced this year is expected to reduce the North African country’s exports in 2023.
The Moroccan government has already introduced restrictions on exports to reduce prices in the local market.
Morocco’s competitive advantage is its proximity to the European market.
In the same period, Egypt’s horticultural exports grew by 18 percent, with major exports being oranges, potatoes, strawberries, grapes and onions.
The country is the second-largest exporter of citrus fruit after South Africa.
Exports to Russia, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the Syrian Arab Republic showed the greatest growth, whilst the EU was relatively constant for the year ending December 2022. This is a clear indication that there is growing demand for African horticultural products in international markets, particularly in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
African countries are increasingly tapping into this demand and expanding their export markets.
Kenya is the world’s largest exporter of black tea, with the product contributing almost 50 percent of its horticultural exports for the period ending 2022, according to Trade Map.
Horticultural exports for the East African country were also boosted by the increase in cut flower shipments to US$600 million in 2022.
Ethiopia is also a horticulture-based economy, with coffee exports contributing 50 percent of total exports in 2022.
In addition, it is the second-largest exporter of flowers in Africa and the fifth-largest exporter globally, with exports of almost US$230 million being recorded in 2022.
Ethiopia’s competitiveness in floriculture is boosted by Ethiopian Airways’ cargo-lifting capacity.
Addressing challenges
Overall, the African horticultural market holds great potential for economic growth, job creation and poverty reduction.
With the right investments, support and collaboration, African countries can become key players in the global market.
For Zimbabwe to realise its full potential, it has to address some challenges, and invest in sustainable and innovative solutions. There are areas with infrastructure gaps that will benefit more if adequate facilities such as pack shades, cold-room facilities and railways are constructed.
Adoption of technology by local farmers, as well as value addition, will also improve market access due to growing demand for high-quality horticultural products.
Some farmers believe limited access to affordable credit and financial services makes it difficult to adopt modern farming techniques, infrastructure and technology, which are crucial for improving productivity and competitiveness.
Continued support for the sector through the provision of fair financial schemes will greatly assist the production of capital-heavy plantation crops such as citrus, avocados, macadamia and blueberry.
Pests and diseases can devastate horticultural crops, leading to significant yield losses and increased production costs. The effective solutions for some farmers are expensive as some chemicals are imported.
Continued research and development of new pest- and disease-resistant varieties, as well as human and environment-friendly chemicals, remain important.
It is also important to note that ongoing pest-management efforts by institutions like the Plant Quarantine Services Institute — under the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development — have greatly contributed to the horticulture sector’s success.
Further, closer engagements between private players and public institutions will contribute positively to further development of sustainable pest- and disease-management solutions.
For emerging farmers, poor post-harvest handling practices — including improper storage, packaging and transportation — often affect the quality of produce, negatively impacting profitability in export ventures.
Capacitating farmers with the necessary technical skills and knowledge to adopt modern farming practices, implement quality assurance systems and access market information will improve their ability to compete effectively in the global market.
Through its export development efforts, ZimTrade — the national trade development and promotion agency — has partnered with technical experts from PUM of Netherlands and Senior Experten Service of Germany to improve the production capacity of local farmers.
Local farmers are encouraged to access these experts to improve their production efficiencies at very little or no cost.
Allan Majuru is ZimTrade’s CEO
