Buyers engagement bears fruits

LOCAL farmers have made their first shipment of horticultural produce to China, making a significant step towards expanding the country’s agricultural exports and accessing new international markets.
The breakthrough follows a Buyers Engagement exercise earlier this year facilitated by ZimTrade, which brought Chinese buyers into direct contact with local farmers, giving them an opportunity to explore business partnerships and assess the country’s agricultural capacity.
Trial exports have since been undertaken for chillies, sesame seed, macadamia nuts, baobab, and avocados, laying the ground work for Zimbabwean producers to establish a presence in the vast Chinese market. ZimTrade Eastern Region manager, Mr Admire Jongwe, said the initial shipments laid a firm foundation for increased exports to China. ZimTrade was not at liberty to divulge the monetary value of the exports.“The Zimbabwe-China Horticulture Buyers Engagement has transformed into tangible trade outcomes, with a number of first trial shipments of Zimbabwean horticultural products to China being brokered through the relationships and market linkages established during the engagement.
“Trial shipments have been undertaken for chillies, sesame seed, baobab, coffee, blueberries, avocados and avocado oil. These developments represent the first shipments of these products facilitated through the engagement into the Chinese market, providing an important opportunity for Zimbabwean suppliers to test market acceptance and demonstrate product quality.
“Macadamia nuts also remain a key product of interest with Zimbabwean companies actively pursuing increased exports to China. The relationships established through the engagement have strengthened direct communication between suppliers and buyers, and provided exporters with a clearer understanding of buyer specifications, volumes, quality standards, packaging and other market requirements.
“ZimTrade will continue following up with the participating buyers and exporters to support the progression of these trial shipments into repeat orders, increased shipment volumes, and longer-term supply arrangements. As these commercial relationships mature, the full impact of the engagement is expected to become more evident through increased and diversified horticultural exports to China,” said Mr Jongwe.
Mr Jongwe said Zimbabwe is focusing on identifying new and emerging horticultural products with strong potential in the Chinese market as part of efforts to diversify the country’s export basket and create more opportunities for local producers.
He added that ZimTrade is pushing farmers to strengthen compliance with international market standards and observing Chinese phytosanitary, food safety, quality and traceability requirements. “Some of the products being explored include pecan nuts, stone fruits, berries, sweet potatoes, fresh vegetables, herbs and spices as well as processed and dried horticultural products. These present opportunities to serve different segments of the Chinese market, while expanding the range of products Zimbabwe exports. Our priority is to develop products where Zimbabwe has competitive advantage, can meet the required quality and food safety standards and maintain consistent supplies. We are also encouraging greater value addition, particularly through processing, which can extend shelf life, improve competitiveness and increase returns for local producers. We are taking a market-driven approach focusing on products with demonstrated demand in China and working with farmers and exporters to position them for these opportunities. This includes helping businesses understand buyer requirements relating to product specifications, volumes, pricing, packaging, certification and logistics, ensuring that productions are aligned with market expectations,” said Mr Jongwe.-herald