Standardisation, certification crucial for horticulture

Allan Majuru

The development of strong standards and quality assurance is a crucial cog in ensuring Zimbabwe horticulture players are competitive on the global market.

Standards are a key element of the trade landscape, encompassing regulations set by either public or private bodies to ensure that products are fit for consumption and that they adhere to specific technical controls.

A growing understanding of the certification and regulation requirements will go a long way in promoting good agricultural practices that ensure safety of fruits and vegetables for the local and export markets.

With regards to standardisation, quality assurance and certification requirements, the horticulture sector has some of the strictest foreign buyers.

As such, for horticulture players in Zimbabwe to enter new export markets, there is need to embrace national and global standards, as well as certify their products according to regulations of the intended market.

Reluctance to meet international set standards is one of the non-tariff barriers that restricts exportation of local products to foreign markets.

The global trade boom, coupled with increased consumer demand, tastes and habits, has necessitated an increase in quality and safety requirements in international trade.

According to Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), more governments are realising the need to protect consumers’ health and safety by imposing regulations based on health, safety and environmental considerations.

Zimbabwe is currently a signatory of agreements such as sanitary and phytosanitary measures which allow the country to impose measures that protect human, animal and plant life or health through inspecting imports and exports of both plant and animal material.

Import inspections protect the country from unwanted pests, diseases as well as invasive species.

To assist farmers in producing products that are universally accepted, there are several certification and standardisation guidelines that countries, public and private institutions recognise as offering best practices.

For example, certification such as Global Goods and Agricultural Practices (GAP) offer the minimum export standard guidelines that are required for local players to navigate the European Union (EU) market.

Other quality standards that are important in the EU market include Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, Rain Forest Alliance, Tesco Nature Certificate and Albert Heijn Protocol.

Notable certification practices for EU markets are contained in several agreements such as the Green Alliance, Codex Alimentarius Food Hygiene, Fair Trade International, Organic Certification, Food Alliance, and Food Safety System Certification 22000.

Given Zimbabwe’s agricultural comparative and competitive advantages such as favourable climate conditions, the horticulture sector is a low-hanging fruit that can be used to penetrate new markets.

National trends regarding export values from the horticulture sector in the past years show the potential that can be used to encourage more players to strengthen their quality assurance and certification practices.

The horticulture sector recorded a significant increase in the value of exports to US$112,2 million in 2018 compared to US$51,9 million recorded in 2017, representing a 116 percent increase.

The rise was attributed to new products such as blueberries and raspberries, coupled with an increase in the production of citrus, macadamia and avocados.

There is, however, potential for horticulture players in Zimbabwe to earn more and significantly contribute to the national gross domestic product through raising awareness of certification and standardisation requirements of foreign markets.

Meeting these certification and standardisation requirements will ensure that local horticultural players have access to different international markets.

For example, the Global Goods and Agriculture Practices — which is recognised globally, with over 150 000 players in 124 countries — offers an internationally accepted set of good industry standards that, if followed by local players, will make it easy for Zimbabwean products to enter more markets.

In addition, the Tesco Nature Certification offers certification practices that local producers can use to target one of Great Britain’s largest supermarket chains, Tesco.

For Zimbabwean producers obtaining this certification, it not only improves food safety and traceability of their produce, but also generates new sales opportunities and boosts competitiveness in the food market.

Other certifications such as Ecocert relate to organic produce and will benefit Zimbabwean producers by offering European and Asian markets whose consumer base has grown significantly by double-digits every year since 1990.

In adherence with export requirements in the horticultural sector, ZimTrade, the country’s trade development and promotion organisation, joined a one-year Trade Comm II project designed to develop local value chains within the horticultural sector, to ensure they meet international standards such as Global GAP.

Recently, Trade Comm II experts undertook a baseline survey on seven horticultural value chains in Zimbabwe, namely: sweet potatoes, flowers, paprika, bananas, pineapples, avocados and macadamia.

The development of value chains within these products will ensure that they are eligible for the Global GAP certification and can be exported to EU, SADC and Asia markets.

To support farmers in the certification processes, ZimTrade also embarked on an initiative to prepare pineapple growers in Ndiyadzo and Chipinge for organic certification, as part of initiatives to export organic foods to the EU markets.

A total of 22 farmers are participating in this project and are all potential first-time exporters.

Following the devastating effects of Cyclone Idai that hit the Ndiyadzo and Chipinge areas, the project will ensure farmers earn a significant livelihood through exporting to foreign markets.

ZimTrade also partnered with COLEACP, an organisation that supports the development of a sustainable and competitive agriculture.

Through COLEACP, farmers can access funding for the various certification under their Fit for Market Programme, a programme that focuses on capacity building for smallholder farmers and relevant entities in the horticulture value chain.

A growing understanding of the certification and regulation requirements will go a long way in promoting good agricultural practices that ensure safety of fruits and vegetables for the local and export markets.

However, a key element in increasing exports lies in horticultural players embracing quality standards to tap into the global village and increase their competitiveness.

Allan Majuru is the CEO of ZimTrade.