Agricultural Show-goers splurge on traditional foods

This year’s Harare Agricultural Show, the 104th edition, which opened last Wednesday under the theme “Sustaining and transforming agricultural growth”, has attracted a huge number visitors to the Julius Nyerere Hall.

The hall has become a centre of attraction for many show-goers who are interested in traditional foods that urbanites once associated with lack of sophistication. Among the most popular produce were cassava, dried black jack leaves (nhungumira/guku/tsine), dried cowpea leaves (munyemba), sweet potatoes (mbambaira) and the usual green vegetables like tsunga.

Mt Darwin farmer Mrs Agness Zvomarima said in her three years of exhibiting at the show, she had never attracted so much interest for black jack leaves as this past week.

“I brought about 300 pockets with each one selling for a dollar and as of the second day of the show I have managed to sell 60 pockets in all,” she said.

A farmer from Hwedza, Ms Elizabeth Mutarisi, said while business was not as brisk as she would have wanted, she was enjoying the interest shown in her produce.

“The main challenge we are facing, though, is that we do not have enough water for irrigation as we do not have pumps and pipes to draw water from the river which is our only source. The other issue is that a good market is only here in Harare, so we face transport challenges and sometimes our produce arrives here damaged and stale.”

Ms Sacrifice Mpofu from Bindura expressed her concern that imported horticultural produce was putting them out of business.

“The market is the main problem we face. We end up selling to teachers and nurses because sometimes we do not have enough money to transport our products to Harare. The other thing is that imported horticultural products are putting us out of business despite the fact that we heard these were banned but surprisingly they still find their way on the local market. We wonder what exactly is going on,” she said.

Cassava has turned the heads — and emptied the wallets — of more than one show-goer this year.

“Cassava is better than bread when it comes to breakfast. I am actually buying this for my mother as well as for my family which has since last year shown preference for it,” said Mrs Otilia Mbano from Greystone Park.

Harare Show spokesperson Ms Heather Madombwe said more than 200 farmers from the smallholder sector had this year brought their produce, compared to 100 or less in previous years.

She said it was encouraging to see that urban residents were increasingly appreciating how nutritional traditional farm produce was.

“All I can say is that this year’s event is catering for everyone . . . People will not be disappointed as both the exhibitor and those coming for the event will gain something. The exhibitor is boosting his or her business through demand for their products, while visitors will be able to purchase whatever they want under one roof,’’ she said.

Ms Madombwe said the event had evolved from it being agro-based to one that encompasses all sectors of the economy including financial institutions, telecommunications, media, and science and technology, among others.

By Emilia Zindi – Agriculture Editor