Online Reporter
Sunday Mail Reporter
ZIMBABWE’S horticulture exports to the United Kingdom continue to grow, as UK Minister for Africa Lord Ray Collins of Highbury visited the Kuminda packhouse to witness the processing of peas from smallholder farmers before shipment to his country.
This comes after he paid President Mnangagwa a visit at State House, accompanied by UK Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Peter Vowles recently.
Posting on his X handle, Lord Collins said: “Kuminda fresh is not just producing peas, but also prosperity, offering employment opportunities for women whose income supports entire communities in Zimbabwe.
“It was great to visit their site and see a prime example of how the UK-Zimbabwe partnership is driving growth.”
Mr Vowles also wrote on his X handle: “Great to be back at Kuminda with Mr Clarence Mwale showing Lord Collins how Kuminda fresh supports small-scale farmers sell their amazing produce to UK markets.”
The UK in Zimbabwe X post disclosed that the UK and Zimbabwe Economic Partnership Arrangement (EPA) empowers 5 000 small-scale farmers with skills and resources to grow mangetout and sugar snap peas, as well as providing employment for women as graders and packers, while Zimbabwe supplies 60 percent of UK’s sugar snap peas.
Zimbabwe enjoys duty-free market access under EPAs.
EPAs are permanent partnerships that encourage a progressive shift from aid to trade and investment as engines of growth, jobs and poverty reduction.
Kuminda chief executive officer Mr Clarence Mwale said the senior UK minister visited their packhouse in Harare to get first-hand appreciation of the produce sorting, grading, packaging and storage.
“We had the senior UK minister visiting our premises last week to get an appreciation of horticulture efforts from smallholder farmers,” said Mr Mwale, who is also the chairman of the Export Produce Growers Association of Zimbabwe, which falls under the Horticultural Development Council.
“The Deputy Leader of the House of Lords was impressed by how we work with the small-scale farmers to grow crops for the UK market, packed by 100 happy women in the packhouse.”
Kuminda is a multinational company founded in Zimbabwe and jointly owned by Mr Mwale and Mr Fred Matenga, whose main goal is to empower African farmers by linking them with international markets.
Mr Mwale revealed that they were starting peas exports to the UK and the European Union (EU).
Mr Mwale disclosed that it took an average of 26 days for the product to reach the destination, but this mode of transportation was less costly.
The country needs to be attentive to consumer preferences for sea freight, which is environmentally friendly over air freight. The export of peas to the UK started at the end of April and will continue until the end of the year, though the peak months are between May and September, to take advantage of high prices during that period as a result of low supply.
Meanwhile, figures from the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat) show that earnings from fresh pea exports rose by 15 percent from US$2 909 962 in 2023 to US$3 335 901 last year.
The volume rose by 12 percent, from 2 559 145 kilogrammes (kg) to 2 861 744kg.
