There has been a boom in peas demand in Malaysia

SIGNIFICANT markets for horticultural exports have opened up in the South East Asian frontier, the country’s export trade promotion body, ZimTrade, said last week.
In its newsletter for October, ZimTrade said there had been a boom in peas and macadamia nuts demand in Malaysia, Hong Kong, Vietnam and China, among several South East Asian economies.
This demand has opened up opportunities for the country to diversify its Eastern Highlands’ “scenic and evergreen landscapes” from a tourism corridor to a global source of horticulture exports.
Zimbabwe mainly exports horticultural produce to the European Union (EU) markets, where exports rose to over US$54 million in 2015, from US$21,3 million in 2014, according to official reports.
The bulk of this produce is shipped from the Eastern highlands.
But a boom in the quality of life in East Asia, the world’s fastest growing region, has made it imperative for local farmers to give serious consideration to economies whose diplomatic ties with Harare have flourished in the past decade.
“Malaysia is ranked 11th in the world on imports of shelled peas after the United States of America, the EU and Vietnam,” ZimTrade said.
“The demand for fresh garden peas in Malaysia is increasing. Malaysia’s rising per capita income and increasing urban population has encouraged consumers to lead a more modern but busy lifestyle. The trend is, therefore, towards meals that are convenient to prepare or ready to eat. Consumers are also demanding more variety in their foods, becoming accustomed to international cuisines, including western foods, and also healthier foods, providing new opportunities for food manufacturers,” said ZimTrade.
Data from Trade Map indicates that Malaysian imports of fresh peas increased by 29 percent to US$7,6 million last year, after registering US$5,9 million in 2014.
Malaysia imports peas for consumption as a vegetable and for its growing food processing industry.
“Zimbabwean exporters have an added advantage as they are already supplying European retailers such as Tesco who are also represented in the Malaysian market, hence quality expectations are understood,” the newsletter said, adding that there was growth potential in macadamia exports to countries like Hong Kong, China and South Africa, which imported about US$9 million worth of produce from Zimbabwe last year.
However, ZimTrade said Zimbabwean exporters had to work to overcome several hurdles that have been previously encountered in the exportation of macadamia, such as the need to de-husk, which is a standard for the export market.
The de-husking process involves the removal of the outer layer of the macadamia nuts, leaving the nuts only covered with the dry, hard shell.
This value addition process is important for exporters to realise maximum return on the export market.
“In 2016, Zimbabwe exported macadamia nuts worth US$9,186 million to Hong Kong, South Africa and China,” the newsletter said.
“Hong Kong is the world’s second largest importer of macadamia nuts, with Zimbabwe being the fifth largest contributor to their imports. ZimTrade is urging Zimbabwean producers of Macadamia nuts to explore the various export markets,” the newsletter added.
[email protected]