Farmers follow proceedings during the Dubai market survey dissemination workshop at a Bulawayo hotel yesterday. — Picture by Eliah Saushoma

Prince Sunduzani, Business Reporter
ZIMBABWEAN farmers can tap into the lucrative United Arab Emirates (UAE) market as there is a huge appetite for agricultural imports in the desert country, a study has revealed.

A market survey conducted by the Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) and ZimTrade in UAE’s second capital, Dubai, revealed that there is a huge gap that players in the agribusiness sector can exploit, as UAE relies on imports for 90 percent of its agricultural products due to poor climatic conditions.

The latest figures show that the UAE imported in total over $270 million worth of fresh produce, with projections predicting a surge in demand in the coming years as a result of increased tourist arrivals. Some of the opportunities for the country’s farmers are in goat production, horticulture and fresh produce.

In an interview on the sidelines of the Dubai Market research dissemination workshop in Bulawayo yesterday, AMA director Mr Maxwell Chikanda urged farmers to up their quality standards and increase their volumes for them to be competitive in that area. The survey revealed that the market does not value pricing but puts emphasis on globally certified quality products.

“Basically being competitive is about consistency in terms of quality, volumes and packaging. We are saying let’s adopt good agricultural practices by making sure that as farmers we are disciplined in terms of using the recommended inputs that make the product acceptable to the consumer in terms of quality.

“Once we have achieved that, we need to convince the market that we are ready to consistently supply them with the right volumes of that particular product,” said Mr Chikanda.

The country is already trading with the UAE but exports have been dwindling from 2012 to date. The major reasons cited for the decline are that the country now lacks market visibility due to its absence at trade conferences where other countries grow their brands and market their products.

Mr Chikanda said Zimbabwe needs to mobilise farmers to produce for the export market in order to re-establish herself as a global player and drive foreign currency earnings.

“He also stressed the need for local farmers to diversify in terms of the market they produce for as this will confer them with the opportunity to have a ready market throughout the year.

“Some of our products have been entering the UAE market indirectly through South Africa, so we need to leverage a system where we go directly.

“We need to mobilise farmers to produce for the export market to drive foreign currency earnings and we also need to incentivise farmers that are exporting to increase volumes,” Mr Chikanda said.

The market survey was conducted between 17 and 23 February this year under the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement’s 100-day Rapid Results Initiative.

It’s main objective was to identify trade and investment opportunities for Zimbabwe in the UAE. — @PrinceNkosy102