Buy Zimbabwe: The Potato case

30 at the Rainbow Towers.
We certainly cannot afford the luxury of it being another talk show, rather it must demand from the high profile presenters and moderators, practical solutions to the real issues that affect the domestic economy.
It must plug into the Euromoney Conference and take the relevant issues, (naturally leave out the hot air) and contain case studies raised on local success stories.
It should connect these to contentious issues that were brought up in a number of producer association meetings held over the course of the past week.
Of particular interest would be getting stakeholders to address some of the issues that came out of a Potato Growers Association meeting held at the Ministry of Agriculture’s Ngungunyana Building.
Not least because the gathering sought to bring a number of players together to address their concerns but mainly because issues raised were so applicable to a number of sectors in the country ie manufacturers, producers, retailers, the informal sector, banks, regulators, local and central government.
The particular meeting was held against a background of “banned” potato imports that have flooded the southern parts of the country against locally produced potatoes that are also flooding the northern regions, in particular Harare and its environs.
On one side of the country producers are battling to match the low prices of imported potatoes entering our borders illegally.
On the other producers are pushing each other’s prices downwards and are unable to send surplus produce to the rest of the country thereby starving these markets.
The issue is further compounded by the fact that illegal potato imports from South Africa are cleaner and perceived by local consumers as better quality let alone more affordable.
The local potatoes in contrast still trade largely in their raw “dirty state”.
Given the increase in “chicken and chips outfits” in the fast foods industry and the supposedly shifting domestic consumption trends that have added potatoes to their daily meal, consumers are less keen on buying dirty potatoes.
Clearly there is a case of potato cleaning equipment, which some innovative entrepreneurs have ventured into but still this has failed to change the prevailing market conditions.
Local producers and retailers also appear not to have integrated sufficiently and agreed on mutual interests of price, packaging distribution and quality.
This has left the middleman in better position to exploit the gap and push prices higher causing a lot of disharmony between the producer and the retailer. Importantly, it threatens thousands of employees who have made a leaving from the industry with retrenchment.
Short-term solutions have favoured the unscrupulous that know how to benefit from the lack of harmony and loosely enforced regulations.
These have sowed seeds that ultimately threaten to ruin the entire value chain including those spinning in the present. This scenario applies to many other sectors in the country. As has been highlighted in previous articles, the potato growers are not alone in battling these challenges.
Now that we have established that a majority of the problems are definitely common, it is time to effectively deal with the specific issues to find lasting answers.
What we have observed as the Buy Zimbabwe team is that while there is general acceptance for a national initiative, most entities are more vocal when their specific interests are violated or under threat.
Indeed a number of producers are increasingly waking up to the realisation that the consumer has decision-making authority, that marketing is a key function to drive growth and sales and not a first line item to be cut when the going is tough. There seems to be reluctance to forge networks along value chains and determine ultimate benefit to the different parties including the consumer.
We are still trapped in a do it alone syndrome despite the shrill cry for support when our own is hit.
I would say the majority of Zimbabwean businesses and entrepreneurs believe they can be independent supermen.
The reality is we are interdependent and must necessarily invest as much efforts in what each singular part does as much as in our networks. To survive and prosper we must get connected so to speak.
The Potato case must be used in a manner that ensures that we are not turned into a basket case.
As stated at the beginning the forthcoming Buy Zimbabwe Conference provides an opportunity to connect policy, industry, commerce and retailers in practical ways.
The line up includes established industrialists such as Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries president Mr Joseph Kanyekanye and Industrial Development Corporation general manager Mr Mike Ndudzo.
The two would be available to highlight a number of specific challenges affecting different sectors and also clearly highlight Zimbabwe’s roadmap to desired industrial growth.
Also present on the line-up are the resilient Kingdom founder Mr Nigel Chanakira who will share the Kingdom experience on how the bank survived at a time many local banks went under. Consumer insights will be well articulated for the benefit of not only the consumers but local business too by the consumer watchdog Consumer Council of Zimbabwe executive director Ms Rosemary Siyachitema.
The commissioner general of the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority will be at hand to address the customs issues affecting the competitiveness and performance of a majority of the local players in different sectors.
Clearly, the conference demands must be closer to the ground and start a momentum that ensures that Zimbabwe, the brand, the producer, marketer and consumer continues to soar to greater heights both locally and internationally.
l For more comments and contribution Buy Zimbabwe at:
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