Cluster initiative integrates rural women to
exporting

THE adoption of a cluster production system has helped integrate women-led small to medium
enterprises (SMEs) in Matabeleland North province into the mainstream economy through
enhanced capacity to export.

The country’s trade development and promotion agency, ZimTrade is co-ordinating the clusters,
which are operating under art and craft where it works closely with SMEs producing for export.

Last week Business Chronicle joined ZimTrade which was visiting cluster projects in Tsholotsho and
Lupane where producers showcased their work and expressed appreciation of ZimTrade’s efforts to
assist them to tap into the export business.

One of the leaders for the Tsholotsho cluster, Mrs Maqhawe Moyo, said the ZimTrade initiative is
helping to improve the women’s livelihoods as they are now able to access export markets.

She said before adoption of the cluster system, women’s produce was being sold through middlemen
who used to exploit them by offering them low prices.

“The coming in of ZimTrade with the cluster initiative is a very good idea because women will now
access export markets and cut off the middlemen who were exploiting them. The middlemen were

offering as little as US$3 for a product which is sold for about US$30 on the export market” said Mrs
Moyo.

She said women were forced to accept whatever price was offered because they didn’t have access to
the export markets.

“What they needed was just income from the products hence they ended up selling their products for
a song and in some cases had to engage barter trade where a basket was exchanged for a bucket of
maize, packet of sugar or soap,” said Mrs Moyo.

ZimTrade Matabeleland North export cluster group members who are also into the basket
making industry

To further assist rural producers, ZimTrade has conducted international market surveys which
indicate that art and craft products could increase the country’s export earnings in a big way and
Matabeleland North has high capacity in terms of weaving and basketry.
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Lupane Women Development Trust (LWDT) director and interim chairperson of Matabeleland
North Cluster, Mrs Hildegard Mufukare, said the coming in of ZimTrade has helped them improve
quality of products after undergoing training.

“We urge ZimTrade to continue funding these training programmes meant to improve the quality of
our products,” she said.

LWDT marketing manager, Mrs Khayelihle Sibanda, said out of 4 500 women who are engaged in
different activities under the trust, 400 were into arts and crafts.

She said through the ZimTrade initiative they were hoping to see more women undergoing training
in business management including financial literacy.

Mrs Sibanda said the establishment of the trust was meant to eliminate middle-men by connecting
women directly to the markets.

ZimTrade southern region manager, Mrs Jacqueline Nyathi, said Matabeleland North cluster has
five groups, which include Lupane, Tsholotsho, Binga, Hwange and Victoria Falls whose products
have been exhibited at two different international trade fairs.

“I’m impressed with the quality of products, which the women are producing. The aim of the whole
programme is to increase the capacity of women so that they to properly price their products to
avoid being exploited,” she said.

Women in Matabeleland North use natural resources found in their areas to produce baskets and
they also use recycled plastics.— The Chronicle