Edgar Vhera — Agriculture Specialist Writer
The country is mulling including blueberry among citrus fruits in the Zimbabwe/China citrus trade protocol, in a development that will add impetus to the national push to attain a US$1 billion horticulture industry by 2030.
This was said by the local horticulture promotion body, Horticultural Development Council (HDC) in a recent X (formerly Twitter) post in which it hinted that growing agricultural exports needed the country to broaden its search for new markets.
"Work is underway to secure the protocol we need to access markets such as China and India for Zimbabwean blueberries. We are ready to collaborate with stakeholders to make this happen," said the post.
The HDC quarterly seasonal update for June 2023 said progress towards new blueberry production had been slower than expected due to the economic constraints, as well as the increase in the cost of production and decrease in returns per kilogramme.
However, if blueberries were on the list of exports to China in 2023, this would open up a significant market and give impetus for increased production.
"Under market access, the facilitation of China protocol for blueberries was of critical strategic importance for Zimbabwe, as our competitors in the region (including South Africa) do not have protocol as yet. An opportunity for us to gain market share prior to our competitors would be a huge win for the industry," said the June report.
In 2022 Zimbabwe and China signed a citrus trade protocol that was initiated in 2015 for the export of oranges for smallholder growers under the Shashi irrigation scheme.
The fresh citrus products to be exported to China from Zimbabwe include sweet orange, mandarin orange, grapefruit, lemon) and sour orange.
The General Administration of Customs of China also released a list of registered Zimbabwean orchards and packhouses for fresh citrus exports to China.
The opening of the Chinese market has given the country more options to use the short Mozambican port of Beira if cold sterilisation conditions are met and significant volumes are produced.
The HDC quarterly seasonal update for September 2023 also said if market access to China and India were secured, expanding the blueberry hectarage by 1 500 hectares would result in increased production of 30 000 tonnes but added that this would depend on an improvement in the policy environment.
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"Progress in completing the protocols for market access to China and India is slow and Government intervention is required. Unless policy issues are resolved, this promising industry risks hitting stagnation and Zimbabwe will miss out on a strong opportunity to position itself as a leader on the global stage," added the report.
At the second addition of the horticulture investment conference in Harare last year, Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development chief director Strategic Planning and Business Development Mr Clemence Bwenje said following the conclusion of the Zimbabwe/Citrus trade protocol, conversations were ongoing on towards signing the protocol for avocadoes, macadamia and pecan nuts.
The five-year phenomenal growth of 810 percent in the berries sub-sector's export earnings from US$1 million in 2018 to US$14 million in 2022 brings to the fore the country's push to attain US$1 billion horticulture industry by 2030.
