daniel chigunwe
Precious Manomano
Herald Reporter
Zimbabwe has the potential to export 6 500 tonnes of blueberries almost doubling the 3 500 tonnes produced in the last season as Government’s policies meant to grow the horticulture sector are bearing fruit.
There is potential to access new international markets for blueberries boosting incomes of the farmers and ensuring that growers can continue to expand production and profits even with a saturated local market.
The blueberry is a small dark blue berry indigenous to North America, but now spread as a cultivated crop around the world. It is a perennial plant related to the cranberry and the huckleberry. World production is over 850 000 tonnes a year.
According to the recent update by the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, the rise in production has been slower than originally expected owing to economic constraints as well as the increase in cost of production. Now that blueberries are on the list of exports to China this year that will open up a significant market.
This year about 570ha of blueberry are expected to generate 6 500 tonnes to be exported, said the ministry.
Government plans and backing see horticulture export earnings rising to US$143 million this year from US$64 million obtained last year after implementing progressive policies which have given birth to the current revival wave in the horticultural space.
Last year, Government put in place a US$30 million Horticulture Export Revolving Fund (HERF) to enhance the horticulture sector’s contribution to the growth of the country’s export earnings and economic growth.
The fund is supported through the Special Drawing Rights the country received from the International Monetary Fund last year.
Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Permanent Secretary Dr John Basera gave blueberries as an example of the horticultural crop where Zimbabwe needed to expand production being a high value crop that suited the Zimbabwean climate and conditions.
“We are going for growth and we are getting there and this horticulture export development fund will help to upscale our numbers in the horticulture export space. Another upcoming value chain is the blueberries. In 2016 we had zero hectares of blueberries but now we are talking of 400 hectares. We are targeting about 470 hectares this year of blueberries.
“It is a very high value crop, but what is so exciting is Zimbabwe we do endow some good geographical and climatic advantages. We get on to the blueberry market four weeks early and we get the early worm and get the best price, but we also last for an extended period of about two to three weeks again on the market.
“So our climate allows us to get the best from the blueberry market. The horticultural space is going for growth in the agricultural space,” he said.
In a recent interview, Zimbabwe Indigenous Women Farmers Association Trust president Mrs Depinah Nkomo said there was a need for empowerment of smallholder farmers on infrastructural development and also on market requirements.
“Smallholder farmers, especially women, require irrigation infrastructure so they can produce high value crops throughout the year.
“Some of the women have the zeal to produce but lack technical expertise and do not have adequate information on the market requirements,” she said.
Horticulture can grow fast since Zimbabwe is well placed geographically and climatically to produce fresh and pure produce on good soils, pristine water and a variety of climatic conditions.
Under the Presidential Rural Horticulture Transformation Plan, 2,3 million households will benefit from fruit production and village nutrition gardens this year.
Last year, blueberries were exported to Europe, the Middle east and other markets, but most of the exports go to a company in the United Kingdom for distribution across Europe and there are plans to export 6 500 tonnes by the end of this year.
Zimbabwe is the biggest exporter of blueberries in the SADC region.
High-quality fresh vegetables and fruit often need to be airlifted to get to markets while still fresh, and so need to be of high-value to justify the costs.
Online Reporter