ZimTrade is scheduled to host a full day Horticulture Exports Awareness Seminar for exporters and potential exporters in Plumtree, Matabeleland South on February 11, to deliver key issues required by buyers in international markets.

The capacity building seminar will assist farmers in meeting quality and food safety standards (certification) requirements, as well as help in developing market penetration strategies.

The seminar will also conscientise Plumtree horticulture farmers to develop a culture of producing high quality horticultural produce that can easily penetrate the market starting with the local market then venture into export markets.

Potential exporting farmers will have an opportunity to learn from those already exporting, and to acquaint the farmers with the mandatory requirements for exporting horticulture products. Regarding product development,the seminar will place emphasis on organic food market, which has been on a continuous growth trajectory.

Zimbabwe has potential to grow and export organic produce due to its organic soil and favourable climatic conditions. The planned seminar will therefore allow Plumtree farmers a chance to learn and gain knowledge about Global G.A.P, a private sector body that sets voluntary standards for the certification of agricultural products around the world.

The GlobalG.A.P. standard covers the production of a certified product from farm inputs to when the products leave the farm. Some examples of good agriculture practices include worker hygiene and health, safe use of agriculture water, and reducing food safety risk during harvesting and packaging. It is also of paramount importance to the farmers to implement good agriculture practices to protect their businesses from the economic consequences of food contamination.

In addition, an expert under the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement will unpack other mandatory export requirements for horticulture products such as the labelling requirements, inspection requirements, marking requirements, certification requirements, origin of materials and parts among other measures. Understanding these measures will help the potential export farmers in readying themselves for exporting their horticulture produce. Market research made easy!

As 2021 unrolls, local businesses that are targeting to grow exports must fully understand the fundamentals of market research and the tools that are available to them.

This year has started with the promise of opportunity for many local businesses, with the launch of the AfCFTA agreement promising many markets that can be the next destination for Zimbabwean products. However, harnessing these opportunities will require that companies familiarise with market research.

Market research is critical to successful export marketing. Knowledge of the target market enables one to determine what motivates buying decisions. It helps to choose the most viable location, determine the product or services to offer, establish pricing and plan a selling strategy.

Companies that are prepared with good market intelligence can optimise their chance for succeeding in export markets while mitigating risks along the way. To ensure success of local products in export markets, local companies must build a strategy that responds to issues identified under a market research. To make it easy to undertake this research, there are various online tools that Zimbabwe’s trade portal provides along with all necessary export related information under one roof.

Available on www.tradezimbabwe.com, the portal is designed to assist both international buyers as well as exporters by offering extensive information on product and market trends. Under the “Exporting from Zimbabwe” tab, users can find information and are provided with a export readiness checker, a questioner that helps local companies assess whether or not they are fit for export.

Additionally, the website also offers extensive reliable information that will assist in market analysis as well as market briefs that offer insights into specific countries. As a service to Zimbabwean companies, ZimTrade can prepare market pointers and briefs on request. Part of the analysis included in these market briefs are popular products, population statistics and consumer spending habits, as well as market penetration assessment.

One way to gauge the demand and analyse markets is by using the International Trade Centre’s Trade Map available on www.trademap.org. Trade Map was developed to transform the large volume of primary trade data into an accessible, user-friendly, and interactive Web-based format.

Trade Map provides users with indicators on country or product performance, demand. It also presents information in both tables, charts and maps, and allows queries based on product, group of products, country and regional country groupings for exports or imports.

The platform also offers free access to world trade data on a monthly, quarterly and yearly basis by country, product and service, to the most detailed level using the harmonised system code (HS) which ranges from a two-digit level and it goes up to six digit level when searching for a certain product. — ZimTrade