adminRumbidzayi Zinyuke Manicaland Bureau
ZIMBABWE and Mozambique have reached an agreement to eliminate trade barriers and allow agricultural produce to be transported from Manica province for value addition at factories in Manicaland.
The agreement will see Mozambique exporting pineapples and raw milk for processing in Manicaland while Zimbabwe will export bananas from Honde Valley into Manica province where there is a bigger market.
Speaking at a luncheon hosted by the Governor of Manica province, Cde Alberto Ricardo Mondlane, for a Zimbabwean delegation that attended the 43rd Mozambican independence celebrations in Chimoio last week, Manicaland provincial administrator Mr Edgars Seenza said talks were at an advanced stage to enhance economic cooperation between the two provinces.
“We now have an agreement in place that will allow the coming in of pineapples from Mozambique to be processed at Associated Foods’ plant for the Zimbabwean and SADC markets,” he said.
Mr Seenza said Mozambique had an abundance of pineapples but there was a limited market for them.
He said Zimbabwe could take up the excess, which would then be further processed and canned for longer shelf life.
The agreement also includes the export of excess milk to Mutare.
“We understand you are losing thousands of litres of raw milk because there is no market for it here. We want it back home. We have a plant in Manicaland that is ready to take up that milk and process it. We have agreed that the milk will come through Mt Selinda in Chipinge and go straight to the plant to avoid any losses,” he said.
Speaking at the same event, Manica province permanent secretary Ms Francisca Muluana said cooperation between the two provinces would open doors for economic development in Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
“We are happy because this economic cooperation will allow us to transport excess pineapples and milk into Zimbabwe where they will be processed and pushed into the market while we will take in bananas from Honde Valley. There is a ready market for them here,” she said.
Manicaland and Manica provinces have been working on ways of enhancing cooperation at the economic and political level, which has seen the setting up of technical committees that come up with terms of reference and action plans on possible areas of cooperation.
Areas of interest include horticulture, transport infrastructure (roads, rail and airports), environment and tourism among many other areas.
Online Reporter