Zim engages Dutch to boost flower exports

05 Oct, 2018 - 05:10 0 Views
Zim engages Dutch to boost flower exports

eBusiness Weekly

Golden Sibanda
Zimbabwe has engaged a Dutch trade facilitation body to help boost flower exports to European countries, including the Netherlands, according to Harare’s State international trade promotion agency, Zimtrade, as the Southern African country bids for exports driven economic growth.

According to international financial news group, Bloomberg, quoting Zimtrade acting chief executive Allan Mujuru, Zimbabwe has engaged Netherlands based Centre for Promotion of Imports to help floriculture producers grow exports.

The southern African country used to export about 70 percent of its cut flowers to the Netherlands.

“Zimtrade is developing a programme to revive the sector in the short to medium term,” Mujuru said.

Zimbabwe will also get funding for its horticulture under European Union’s TradeCommII, Mujuru.

At its peak between 1998-1999, Zimbabwe exported 18 400 tonnes a year of flowers, but output had fallen to 6 373 tonnes by last year due to land reform disturbances since 2000.

Production of flowers drastically fell as new farmers who benefited under the land reform programme, which started in 2000 lacked expertise to cultivate the high value export commodity.

Zimbabwe is now looking forward to develop about 1 000 hectares of cut flower plantations – mostly roses – in the next five years as it seeks to boost foreign currency inflows.

Government says irrigation; in light of climate change will be a critical component of the new thrust.

In 2002, Zimbabwe exported cut flowers worth $60 million, according to ZimTrade, making it the second largest exporter in Africa after Kenya.
Zimbabwe targets $200 million cut flower exports by 2023.

Zimbabwe used to be one of the largest exporters of a wide range of horticultural products in Africa, supplying overseas markets including Europe and the Middle East.

For instance, citrus exports peaked in 2001 at 45 000 tonnes, being 60 percent of fresh produce output.

The country’s traditional main flower producing areas included Banket, Concession, Glendale, Bindura, Harare, Goromonzi, Trelawney, and Kwekwe, which produced mainly roses.

Zimbabwe had become a valuable exporter of cut flowers, and by 2001, it was ranked as the second largest in Africa, behind Kenya, second among African, Caribbean and Pacific exporters, and was the fifth biggest exporter to the EU.

In 2016, Government scrapped export permits in the horticultural sector to provide an opportunity for cut flower growers to increase production and especially exports.

Removal of export permits is expected to improve the export competitiveness of local flower produce, through reduction of costs associated with regulation documents, long waiting periods of processing licences and approvals as well as exhaustive processing of export documentation.

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