The ManicaPost
THE global pandemic has created untold havoc and suffering globally. This has brought about new ways of doing business as exports and imports have been greatly affected especially with travel restrictions. However, there is always a silver lining in everything and one of the issues is the creation of a huge demand for health foods. This week, The Manica Post News Editor, Cletus Mushanawani (CM) had a chat with ZimTrade’s Eastern Region Development officer, Mr Admire Jongwe (AM) and below is the full interview:
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CM: As for export promotions in the region, which areas is ZimTrade focusing on this year?
AJ: ZimTrade’s four key deliverables are export promotion, export development, trade intelligence and advocacy. For export promotion, we link local producers with potential buyers.
This we do through various platforms and interfaces. Under export promotion, we also take companies to various markets of interests and we expose these companies to consumer trends in those markets.
Last week, we had a delegation that was in Dubai to explore opportunities and create linkages with buyers from some of the leading retail chains in the country. Dubai is proving to be a market with appetite for Zimbabwe’s horticultural exports.
Currently, we are exporting avocado pears, macadamia, stone fruits, fresh vegetables to Dubai. There is potential to export other products like mangoes, apples, leaches, tea, peas, chillies, and baby corn. We are expecting that engagements after this visit will open markets for farmers in Manicaland.
There are also plans to facilitate the participation of local exporters, including Manicaland farmers at Fruit Logistica, which is the biggest fresh produce exhibition in the world.
The thrust will be to expose Zimbabwean producers to international buyers and this will improve fresh produce exports from Manicaland region.
Throughout the year, we will be facilitating for local companies to participate in trade promotion and exhibitions that will take place in regional markets such as Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, DRC, Tanzania, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa.
The deliberate effort to target regional markets is in line with our strategy which identifies southern African countries as easily accessible compared to the rest of the world.
So we will be doing more to create and strengthen synergies between local exporters and buyers in the region.
As part of the preparation for local companies to participate in trade exhibitions and fairs taking place in other countries, we will continue capacitating local companies so that they produce competitive products.
We are running an youth export incubation programme dubbed Eagles Nest which has attracted participants from Manicaland.
Our target is that these youth-led businesses from Manicaland should be export ready by end of year. We are also working with a pineapple cluster in Chimanimani where we are assisting smallholder farmers to get global certifications, which will make it easy to land products in international markets.
There are various seminars, trainings and other programmes are planned for the region to develop export capacities of companies in Manicaland.
CM: In terms of revenue from exports for the year 2020, how much came from the Eastern Region?
AJ: We are working with Zimstats to get the correct position on this.
CM: What are the major export drivers in the region and what are some of the challenges being encountered to fully benefit from lucrative markets abroad?
AJ: The major export drivers include tea, macadamia, avocado pears, flowers, coffee, timber and timber products. This dynamic region produces fresh vegetables which are also exported to various international destination as well as can produce herbs, baobab products and capsicum products like paprika and chillies.
Products which are exported by the region include flowers, citrus, mangoes, cotton, pineapples, sweet potatoes, honey and sugar beans. Macadamia predominantly being exported from Chipinge, Honde Valley and Nyanga districts is exported to China, South Africa, Thailand, Malawi and Hong Kong.
Manicaland also exports bananas, mostly to South Africa. The bananas are mainly produced in Chiredzi, Chipinge and Vumba.
The table bananas exported by Zimbabwe are tastier than those from our competitors in the regional markets. Some of the bananas are also exported to Zambia.
Timber grows well in the Eastern Highlands and the exotic plantations constitute the greatest proportion of timber exports by the country.
These are exported as poles used for electrification as well as fencing and construction timber.
The major impediment to Zimbabwe having a visible footprint in the export market is mostly volume and compliance to export quality requirements. The number of players that are export centric has been dwindling owing to the maze of export procedures.
The number of players especially in the horticulture sector that are compliant is very low. To address this gap, we will be hosting awareness seminars on the importance of being compliant to these quality standards.
CM: Which crops is ZimTrade promoting for export markets this year and what is the anticipated revenue?
AJ: We have been placing emphasis on health eating and superfoods, products that can help boost immunity in the fight against Covid-19.
These purple foods have immune boosting traits. These includes baobab products, avocados, pineapples, macadamia, citrus, pineapples, herbs as well as beverages like zumbani and green teas.
We are also promoting ginger, turmeric, garlic and other spices that are known to have immune boosting properties. We will continue the lookout for export opportunities for these products and many others.
CM: Since the opening of the new regional office, how has the office helped in enhancing trade of local players?
AJ: Since the opening of our Eastern Region Office, we have been ceased with various initiatives to assist players in the region.
We have been facilitating business-to-business engagements between exporters in Manicaland and buyers from across the world. We are planning to increase linkages with businesses in Mozambique, which should be easier to access through the Forbes Border Post. We are expecting to see positive payoffs this year.
As the year progresses, we will be facilitating for companies in Manicaland to participate in regional and international trade exhibitions where they will connect with buyers.
We are also running a series of capacity development programmes targeting smallholder farmers in Nyanga, Chipinge, Chimanimani and Honde Valley.
We are expecting that the increased participation of smallholder farmers in exports will increase the contribution of the region to national exports.
We will also be engaging with small scale businesses, training them in key aspects such as export marketing and promotion as well as trade negotiations. Our flagship training programme called Marketing and Branding for International Competitiveness will strengthen capacities of small businesses in Manicaland.
As part of our efforts to increase the contribution of young people to national economy, we are running a youth export incubation programmed called Eagles’ Nest.
This is a national project that has drawn participant from Manicaland. We are hoping that this yearly event will make it easy for youths in Manicaland to land products in export markets.
We are also working with young people and women in Nyanyadzi and Honde Valley who produce good pieces of arts in the form of baskets, mats etc.
The arts and crafts sector is one which remains untapped in Manicaland despite huge potential to perform well in export markets.
Despite the Covid-19 pandemic affecting most of our physical events, as ZimTrade we have also increased our online presents.
We are increasing awareness of the Zimbabwean products through the shop@zim our online shop. On this platform buyers from the region can interact with companies from the country.
CM: What are some of the unique products ZimTrade is pushing to promote in the Eastern Region?
AJ: The Eastern region is endowed with niche products like avocados, macadamia, arts and crafts, pineapples. There are also other products like chillies, paprika, baobab products.
As ZimTrade we are currently assisting a group of pineapple farmers in Chipinge attain organic farming certification. This will help their product penetrate the export market.
As indicated earlier on, we are also looking at arts and crafts sector. We have been also raising awareness of the Birchenough and Nyanyadzi mats producers who have attracted interest from foreign buyers.
CM: Since Mutare is close to the Sea Port of Beira, what is the organisation doing to drive maximum benefits for exporters who use the Beira Corridor?
AJ: The Forbes Beira Corridor is an important gateway for most companies exporting bulky products to Europe. As ZimTrade, we have been calling for improvement in the ease of exporting. If exporters can cut down the cost and time of exporting, as a country we will improve our competitiveness. Working together with the border authorities and regulators, we are championing the decongestion of the Forbes Border Post.
The intention is to capacitate and commission other ports of entry and exit within the province so that Forbes can be decongested. Other ports of entry and exit that needs capacitation includes Katiyo Border, Cashel Valley and Mount Selinda.
One of the critical export documentation that is required to export is the rules of origin certificates. At the Eastern Region Office, we will be selling these export documents in the coming month at a subsidy. This will cut down costs of procuring the certificates as well as time to visit the offices in Harare to procure these.
