Bongani Ndlovu
Business Reporter
Zimbabwe should strengthen linkages between agriculture, finance, technology and markets to unlock greater value from the sector and translate production into sustainable economic growth, the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) has said.
Speaking at a ZNCC breakfast meeting held on the sidelines of the ongoing Zimbabwe Agricultural Show this morning, the chamber’s chief executive officer Mr Christopher Mugaga said the country needs to address policy, logistics, competition and market-access constraints holding back agricultural value chains.
Mr Mugaga said Zimbabwe has significant opportunities to expand agricultural exports, particularly into major markets such as China.
However, he said weaknesses across the value chain continue to prevent locals from fully exploiting the opportunities.
He questioned why Zimbabwean agricultural products remain largely absent from major retail outlets and international markets.
“The question is whether it is a policy issue, a quality issue, or lack of information and knowledge,” Mr Mugaga said, calling for stronger collaboration among stakeholders to identify and address the bottlenecks.
He said the country needs to move beyond repeatedly highlighting challenges and develop practical solutions to improve the efficiency and competitiveness of agricultural value chains.
He also called for scrutiny of competition within agricultural markets, including possible monopolistic and anti-competitive practices that could prevent farmers from accessing major retail and formal markets.
“If a farmer producing cannot reach a local market, what could be the challenge?” he asked, stressing the need to identify specific barriers preventing producers from accessing consumers.
Mathew Masinge