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Patience Maturure
Herald Reporter
CONTRACTING of farmers for the 2025 mangetout and sugar snap peas season has started amid efforts to capitalise on the pending period of low supply and high demand of the products on the international markets.
Harvesting of the crop begins in eight weeks if planting begins now and will happen at a time when traditional suppliers of the crop will not be able to produce it competitively owing to unfavourable climatic conditions.
Chief executive officer of local horticulture contracting concern, Kuminda, Mr Clarence Mwale yesterday told The Herald Agribusiness that pea varieties, which Zimbabwe is known to produce have high international demand.
“Most of Zimbabwe’s peas are produced in winter when many international suppliers have exited the market, enabling pea farmers to send their produce to the European market and take advantage of this opportunity.
Mangetout peas are in demand on both international and local markets, providing food security to many people around the globe and are one of the horticultural crops that can be grown in Zimbabwe, especially during the winter season.
Horticultural Development Council (HDC) chairman and former peas grower and exporter, Mr Stanley Heri said the planting of the crop starts in mid-February and ends in May for the country to take advantage of the window period when prices are very high on the international market.
“Local producers of peas should exploit the niche period when prices are high on the international market, as a result of low supply from chief supplier Guatemala.
“Any peas planted in June will reach the EU market when demand is low due to school closures and many consumers on holiday,” he said.
Mr Heri lamented last year’s high freight costs saying they were eating into farmers’ profits.
“Peas produced within this window period are air-lifted to the EU to fill the supply void and get very high prices.
“Any peas produced after the window period are shipped via sea and take many days to reach the market where they get low prices due to oversupply,” the HDC boss added.
Operations director for another horticulture concern, Lingflora, Mr Tatenda Karimazondo concurred saying February was the earliest planting date and the cut off time for planting was mid-May.
Mr Karimazondo, who is also a producer and exporter of peas said harvesting and exporting of the crop starts in May to catch high prices after Egyptian and Guatemalan produce exits the market.
“It takes eight weeks from planting date for the peas to mature and four to five weeks of picking,” he added.
Zimbabwe exports peas using both air and sea freight depending on the period.
Said Mr Karimazondo: “Early-planted peas are ferried using air freight to catch high prices but later in the season we will start using the sea route. This route takes over three weeks for the product to reach the market and prices tend to be lower due to entry of more product from Peru.”
Online Reporter