Following a successful learning visit in 2017 to Fruit Logistica in Berlin, Germany, ZimTrade will this year facilitate the participation of Zimbabwean horticultural companies at the annual Expo.
Fruit Logistica, which runs from 7-9 February, is the world’s leading international trade fair for the fruit and vegetable industry. The three-day Event provides a platform for fruit and vegetable producers, buyers, packagers, handling experts and other interested parties from across the globe to meet under one roof.
The organisers reported that over 75,000 trade visitors from over 130 countries attended in 2017. Representatives from 3,077 companies and organisations from 84 countries were also present.
To date, orders worth US$1.3 million have been recorded by the Zimbabwean companies who participated in the 2017 event.
One of the participants in 2017 said that attending Fruit Logistica afforded his company an invaluable opportunity to meet customers and suppliers under one roof as they planned for the sugar snap growing season.
Zimbabwe experienced a rapid growth in the horticulture sector in the mid-1980s which peaked in the 1998/99 season. At its peak, the country exported 59 200 tonnes of fresh produce with earnings of about US$143 million. In 1999, horticulture contributed 4.5% to the country’s GDP second only to tobacco in the agricultural sector.
The EU remains the biggest export market for Zimbabwean horticulture produce, with the sector recording steady growth in exports to that market as shown in the table.
Exports of horticulture produce to the EU 2012-2016
| Horticulture exports (US$) | ||||
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
| 48,816,000 | 66,113,000 | 72,736,000 | 63,783,000 | 60,621,000 |
Source: Trade map
Publish Date: Monday 05 February 2018
