Theseus Mauruki Shambare
Agriculture Correspondent
THE Agriculture and Marketing Authority is planning to mobilise resources with development partners and other stakeholders to establish strategically located cold-chain facilities aimed at reducing post-harvest losses and improving market access for farmers across multiple agricultural value chains.
The proposed infrastructure will include cold rooms, ice-making facilities and refrigerated transport systems to support the preservation and distribution of perishable agricultural products, including fish, horticultural produce and meat.
The initiative comes as Zimbabwe seeks to strengthen agricultural value chains by addressing infrastructure and marketing constraints that undermine the profitability of agricultural production.
AMA market and research expert Ms Ebenezer Paida Kadungure said the initiative was part of the authority’s commitments beyond the Fisheries for African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Countries (FISH4ACP) programme, which supported the development of Zimbabwe’s tilapia value chain.
Ms Kadungure said the facilities would give farmers greater control over when and where to sell their produce.
“These facilities will also help farmers and other value-chain players to store their products while waiting for buyers and to have favourable market opportunities instead of just being forced to sell immediately or risk losing their produce,” she said.
Ms Kadungure said the intervention would reduce post-harvest losses, preserve product quality and strengthen farmers’ bargaining power.
“Our intention is to reduce post-harvest losses, food losses, to preserve product quality and also to improve the market supply and give farmers better opportunities to negotiate favourable prices,” she said.
Ms Kadungure said AMA was also prepared to partner with stakeholders in establishing structured fish market days to connect producers with buyers and other value-chain players.
“We are willing to partner with these stakeholders to develop a practical, standard and sustainable model for these market days,” she said.
Drawing from AMA’s experience in organising livestock marketing activities, she said the platforms could provide reliable market opportunities for farmers while bringing together buyers, processors, input suppliers and service providers.
“We look forward to working with these stakeholders to identify suitable locations, agree on how the market days will operate and also come up with a calendar for the market days that will be distributed to farmers and all other players in the value chain,” she said.
Under FISH4ACP, AMA contributed to market research and stakeholder consultations, resulting in the development of a Zimbabwe Tilapia Value Chain Market Strategy covering 2026 to 2030 and a proposed business model for the Mutare cold-room unit.
The authority encouraged farmers to embrace quality standards and market information as essential components of production.
“Our main aim is to ensure farmers not only produce, but also understand the market requirements and are better prepared to access profitable opportunities.
“AMA’s commitment is to ensure the programme’s achievements are translated into lasting benefits for farmers, businesses and consumers beyond the project’s lifespan,” she said.
