Online Reporter
Edgar Vhera, Zimpapers Business Hub
ZIMBABWE’S United Kingdom (UK) horticulture exports continue to grow as UK Minister for Africa, Lord Ray Collins of Highbury visited Kuminda pack house, to witness the processing of peas from smallholder farmers before export to his country.
This visit comes on the backdrop of a similar one to President Mnangagwa at State House, accompanied by UK Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mr Peter Vowles, recently.
Posting on his X post, Lord Collins of Highbury 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.”
The UK Ambassador to Zimbabwe concurred and wrote on his X handle saying: “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 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 snaps.
Zimbabwe enjoys duty-free market access under EPA.
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 and the Horticultural Development Council’s (HDC) Export Produce Growers Association of Zimbabwe chairman, Mr Clarence Mwale, said the senior UK Minister visited their pack house in Harare, to get a first-hand appreciation of the produce sorting, grading, packaging and storage.
“We had the senior UK Minister visiting our premise to get an appreciation of horticulture efforts from smallholder farmers last week.
“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 pack house,” he said.
Kuminda is a multi-national company founded in Zimbabwe and jointly owned by Messrs Mwale and 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 UK and European Union (EU) this week.
“We are starting fresh peas shipments to UK and EU this week using the sea freight. We are targeting 700 tonnes into these markets,” he said.
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.
“Sea freight costs about US$0,60 per kilogramme as compared to about US$2,80 when transported by air. Our sea freight prices match with those from South America,” Mr Mwale added.
The country needs to be attentive to consumer preferences and demand that require sea freight, which is environmentally friendly over air freight.
The export of peas to the UK started end of April and will continue until 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, statistics from the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat) show that earnings from fresh peas exports rose 15 percent from US$2 909 962 in 2023 to US$3 335 901 last year. In volume terms, it rose 12 percent from 2 559 145 to 2 861 744 kilogrammes.
The export of peas continued up to December last year.
Bongani Ndlovu