Art and craft makers revel in new markets
MATABELELAND North art and craft makers have commended ZimTrade’s initiative that has helped them penetrate the export market.
The producers of the art and craft said through ZimTrade facilitation, they had managed to sell US$36 000 worth of products in the first two months of this year.
The cluster production system has helped integrate women-led small to medium enterprises (SMEs) in Matabeleland North province into the mainstream economy through export capacitation.
The country’s trade development and promotion body is coordinating the clusters in the arts and crafts business to produce for export.
In an interview, cluster interim chair Mrs Hildegard Mafukare said the establishment of the cluster helped women art and craft product makers to produce and sell their products outside the country, which has improved their livelihoods.
“ZimTrade assisted us as a cluster, which includes women from Lupane, Tsholotsho, Nkayi, Hwange, Binga and Victoria Falls and since then, we are happy because if we sell as a cluster, it becomes easy,” said Mrs Mafukare.
“We have been fortunate and have managed to break into the external market. We have a client who places orders every second month, and those are not small orders.
“Those in the cluster are doing well, but individuals still find it hard to export because they cannot meet the target. We are doing very well, and between January and February, we managed to export products worth US$36 000 from the whole cluster.”
ZimTrade introduced the Matabeleland arts and crafts cluster in 2022 as part of its cluster development programme, which complements the Government’s devolution programme and seeks to increase the contribution of all districts to the national economy.
To increase the contribution of all districts to national exports, ZimTrade says there is a need to identify areas with a competitive and comparative advantage and create and capacitate export-focused groups.
The arts and crafts sector represents an untapped opportunity with the potential to contribute to the growth of Zimbabwe’s exports.
The sector earned US$10,1 million in 2023 from US$5,4 million in 2020 and continues to grow its contribution to the economy while empowering ordinary people.
According to ZimTrade, several surveys have indicated that different global markets have a huge appetite for arts and crafts products, and this could significantly boost Zimbabwe’s export earnings.
Mrs Mafukare said the cluster was working on an order for more than 600 baskets, which were expected to be delivered to the client next month.
This has seen the cluster roping in individuals to help them fast-track the process to meet the order deadlines.
According to Mrs Mafukare, the baskets range from US$10 each depending on design and size.
“It’s difficult to export handmade products, so if you get a client who wants a thousand baskets and you work as an individual, you can’t meet the deadlines, but if we bring them together and start working in large groups, it’s easy for us to meet the targets,” she said.-chroncile
