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In 2017 Zimbabwe exported 36 357 tonnes of fresh or dried oranges, valued at $33,3 million. This was at a price of $918 per tonne. Between 2013 and 2016, Zimbabwe’s orange exports have come down by 5 percent, but grew by at least 35 percent between 2016 and 2017.
According to data extracted by Business Weekly from International Trade Council’s Trade Map, Netherlands has enormous hunger for Zimbabwean oranges.
The European nation imported the bulk of Zimbabwe’s oranges (at 38,2 percent) after 13 997 tonnes valued at $12,7 million found their way to the Dutch country.
At the moment, most of Zimbabwe’s oranges are produced in Southern part of the country near Beitbridge border.
The country’s biggest orange juice maker, Schweppes Zimbabwe Ltd, has its juice processing company Beit Bridge Juicing Company operating from there.
Other orange growing farms in Beitbridge include Nottingham Estate and Bishopstone Estate among others.
Commercial production of oranges is also conducted in the Mazoe Valley and parts of Manicaland province such as Rusitu Valley.
According to information obtained from Schweppes Zimbabwe during a tour of its operations in Beitbridge recently, orange farmers currently export about 70 percent of the fresh fruit, while 20 percent is locally processed, with the rest being consumed as fresh fruit.
In Africa, only Zambia imported oranges from Zimbabwe but the quantities are very negligible. Former colonisers England comes fourth in terms of orange imports. Netherland’s closest rival in hunger for Zimbabwe’s citrus was France, which imported 10,3 percent or 3,107 tonnes and paid a very good price of $1,107 per tonne, one of the highest prices paid for the exports.
Germany and Portugal also import a sizeable share from Zimbabwe with a 9,7 percent and 8 percent share.
Portugal is a market that is growing quite strongly having registered a 42 percent growth between 2013 and 2017. At least 2,909 tonnes were exported in 2017.
Though small, exports to Slovenia, Ireland and Saudi Arabia have also been growing strongly. Switzerland, Serbia and Montenegro also paid good prices for Zimbabwean oranges with Switzerland paying the highest price of $1,252 per ton.
The graph above shows the countries that import the bulk of our oranges.
Bongani Ndlovu