Business Reporter
GOVERNMENT intends to establish an authority to promote the growth of the horticultural industry, Agriculture, Irrigation and Mechanisation Minister Dr Joseph Made has said.He said the sector was critical to the Zim-Asset programme and an entity that would promote growth of the industry was necessary. The industry has potential to generate foreign currency and if local farmers are capacitated, it can create thousands of jobs.

“This will help us to properly re-organise the industry and make it attractive to investors,” Dr Made said without giving time lines on when it would start operating. Currently, Zimbabwe’s horticultural activities are co-ordinated by the Horticultural Promotion Council.

The organisation promotes and represents the interests of all producers of horticultural produce and liaises with all processors, exporters, traders, shippers of such produce as well as other businesses involved in the horticultural industry.

The country 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.

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

However, production has been falling with the country now importing a number of horticultural products.

As such, Dr Made said the Government would review fresh produce imports in view of banning importation of products which farmers can sufficiently produce for the local market.

“We are importing tomatoes and vegetables and I think it is unacceptable,” said Dr Made. “We need to capacitate local farmers and if they are given adequate resources, we should be able to export. It will not take time to re-establish our export base.” He added companies that are importing should assist local producers.

“We are determined to re-establish our horticultural production to levels of prior years.”

Meanwhile, Russia has expressed interests in Zimbabwe’s fresh produce and is looking at ways of capacitating local farmers to increase production.

Russia responded to the European Union sanctions against Russian banks and businesses by banning all imports of fresh produce from Europe and it is now looking at alternative markets.