Govt grants nod to bananas deal

Government has given the nod for Mozambican companies to export green bananas to Zambia through Zimbabwe as part of efforts to foster cooperation between the two countries.

In an interview, Manicaland provincial administrator Mr Edgars Seenza said the Department of Plant Quarantine in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement had done extensive research on the transportation of bananas through the country before granting the authority.

“As part of our collaboration efforts, Mozambique has companies that wanted to export green bananas to Zambia through Zimbabwe, but Plant Quarantine had denied, them citing fears that contaminated fruit could be allowed in, leading to spread of plant diseases,” he said.

“However, a SADC research done last year established that there are no diseases that can be spread through green bananas, so approval was finally granted.”

Mr Seenza said the Plant Puarantine Department had already started clearing consignments headed for Zambia at Forbes Border Post.

Zimbabwe and Mozambique   last year reached an agreement to eliminate trade barriers and enhance cooperation on both economic and political fronts.