ZIMBABWE is expected to double pea exports to 10 000 tonnes this year, as it continues to penetrate foreign markets, with Denmark being the latest destination for mange tout peas.
Last year, the southern African country shipped 5000 tonnes of the in-demand horticultural product. This Danish breakthrough follows successful Government engagements with a high-level Danish Business Delegation that visited Zimbabwe late last year.
The delegation came to explore investment opportunities in food systems, agriculture and clean energy sectors.
The Second Round Crops, Livestock and Fisheries Assessment 2, 2025/26 (CLAFA 2) disclosed that pea hectarage grew by 15 percent to 82 hectares in the 2025/26 season from 71ha in the previous season.
The Horticultural Development Council (HDC) said the country’s mange tout peas were spotted in Aarhus, Denmark, showing the global outreach of the country’s high-flavour product.
“This season, our pea industry will export around 10 000 tonnes, with up to 40 percent of this from small-scale farmers,” HDC said in a post on its X platform.
This marks a 100 percent increase from the HDC September 2025 update report, which stated that about 5 000 tonnes of mange tout and sugar snap peas were exported last year.
Smallholder farmers contribute between 30 and 40 percent of the total exports. HDC’s Export Produce Growers Association of Zimbabwe chairman, Mr Clarence Mwale, said although Zimbabwe was a major source of European off-season peas.
But the country faces increased logistical costs, which have nearly doubled as a result of geopolitical disturbances in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
“To get products to London and Amsterdam is more expensive this year.
“Kuminda is paying US$3, 80 per kilogramme to export to European markets this year, up from between US$2 and US$ 2.20 last year, a result of a rise in fuel costs,” he said.
Kuminda is a multi-national company founded in Zimbabwe and jointly owned by businessmen, Mr Mwale and Mr Fred Matenga.
Mr Mwale said that flight disruptions to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had also affected shipments to that market.
Zimbabwe’s produce faces stiff competition from other producers like Egypt, Kenya and Peru due to limited flight options, especially after the withdrawal of KLM Airlines.
Mr Mwale lamented the reality and impact of the war on mange tout and sugar snap peas exports, with many airlines forced to reroute, suspend, or reduce flights.
Air freight cost rose as a result of war risk surcharges, limited air cargo lift and unstable schedules. Mr Mwale revealed that global air cargo had dropped by 22 percent since early March this year, a direct effect of geopolitical disturbances in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
Fresh produce exporters are urging the governments of Zimbabwe, the United Kingdom (UK) and the Netherlands to establish cargo flights between Harare and London/Amsterdam to lower freight costs.
The UK in Zimbabwe said in an X post that under the Zimbabwe Economic Partnership Arrangement (EPA), the two countries had empowered 5 000 small-scale farmers with skills and resources to grow mange tout and sugar snap peas, while also employing women as graders and packers, while Zimbabwe supplies 60 percent of the UK’s sugar snaps.
Zimbabwe enjoys duty-free market access under the EPA.
EPAs are permanent partnerships that encourage a progressive shift from aid to trade and investment as engines of growth, jobs and poverty reduction.
Meanwhile, statistics from the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat) show that earnings from fresh pea exports rose by 15 percent to US$3,336 million in 2024 from US$2,91 million in 2023, but dropped by 13 percent to US$2,89 million last year.
This was caused by a 19 percent decline in average price to US$0,95 last year from US$1,17 per kg, though in volume terms it rose seven percent to 3 052 747 last year from 2 861 744 kilogrammes in 2024.-herald
