The tobacco selling season is almost coming to an end in the next few weeks and most tobacco farmers in Zimbabwe are swearing never to go back into tobacco production. Production is expected to drop even further next year as reported by the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) that seed sales have dropped by 55% as compared to the same time last year 2018. These sentiments have largely been driven by the unstable economy and the ever-changing monetary policies which caused significant losses for most small scale and even large-scale farmers. Off -late horticultural production or rather fresh vegetable production is being spoken about and seems to be on the rise in Zimbabwe. This could be a lucrative alternative.

According to the Ministry of Lands Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural resettlement, fresh vegetable production has grown sharply by 46% in the last 2 years to date. The area under vegetable production has also increased by a staggering 25%. Carrots production has increased by about 85% in 2019, followed closely by our all-time favourite funeral relish as my father used to call it, cabbage at 55%. These figures clearly show that there is a huge demand for fresh produce on the local market and international market and hence I strongly recommend that every farmer with the right capacity should think about growing fresh produce. According to the same report, pea production also increased significantly by 47%, just to shed more light, 98% of the peas produced in Zimbabwe are exported which translates to good profits. However, production for export requires a separate article due to the complexity of the accreditation required which we will talk about in detail in the next article.

You will be surprised at the demand that exists for fresh fruit and vegetables on the Zimbabwean market. You may be selling cabbages from your back yard small garden out of the boot of your car why not commercialise it. A lot of individuals are leasing out pieces of land in and around Harare why not take up the opportunity to expand your small enterprise before you know it, you will be supplying your produce to major retailers in Zimbabwe. There is an English adage which states that the earliest bird catches the worm, this is the right time to invest in vegetable production. Perhaps a few tips to help you plan

1. Have a market – Do not grow anything commercially with no market this may result in huge loses. Talk to your market (e, g supermarkets) ask what you can grow for them, If you can secure a contract the better.
2. Grow your crop out of season, this usually is possible if you have a controlled environment such as a green house. You will get good prices as you are able to sell when product is limited on the market.
3. Have adequate skill, yes, we all have at some point been able to manage a small vegetable garden at home successfully, however in commercial production a significant amount of skill and training is required. Employ someone who is or get the training yourself.
4. Reliability, like any business reputation is everything, one unhappy customer has the power to destroy your significantly damage your business. Supply the agreed quality and amounts at the promised time. Over the years I have seen a lot of good farmers loose lucrative contracts due to greediness and unreliability.

Come and Join us on the 3^rd of August 2019 for our ZBIN meet and greet party in Chitungwiza, Harare Zimbabwe as we discuss and share ideas on more business topics. 

• Emmanuel is a qualified Agronomist with more than a decade’s experience working in the agricultural industry and development sector. You can contact him on edndsep@gmail.com

Article by

Emmanuel D.N Dube

ZIBN Agronomy correspondent

Last week I wrote an article on making farming make sense and I am happy to say that I have been receiving a lot of inquiries and referring farmers to professionals who can assist them. The current unstable economy in Zimbabwe has left most farmersthinking of venturing into fresh produce export which is a multi-million-dollar industry. According to Zimtrade Zimbabwe exports to several countries in Europe earning the much-needed foreign currency. It is quite sad to note that “Magweja”,as they are notoriously known in the tobacco industry,or fraudsters have invaded this sector as well. I met one farmer just last week who will call Mr Grant (pseudo name)who was fleeced of close to 15 000 USD by these middlemen in a bid to acquire “paperwork”, to export to Europe. It was such an elaborate scheme even the most alert individual could have been easily be hoodwinked.

Firstly, lets cover the basics, for one to be able to export fresh produce from Zimbabwe, one needs to have Global GAP certification as a minimum requirement. This certification ensures that the farmer adheres to global standards and practices whilst producing the crop. Other markets may require extra certifications as well which I will not get into detail on at the moment.Back to Mr Grant, this guy owns a vibrant farm just a few kilometres out of Harare with all the basic infrastructure required for farming operations. He was approached by an individual name supplied, who offered his services to assist him to be able to export. Initially he was asked to pay 2 000 USD to get negotiations started and then another 4 000 USD to pay for export licences, 7 000 USD for the Global GAP certification. These guys even had all the supporting documents as proof of payments which were all fake by the way. As usual the relationship eventually ended in the “agent”, being unreachable and just vanished into thin air. The truth is, it will cost approximately R17 000 to get a Global GAP Audit done depending on the company, this includes air fare, hotel etc for the auditor from South Africa. This translates to about +/- 1 400 USD which is a far cry from what Mr Grant paid.

It was after hearing this harrowing story that I decided to raise awareness on this subject. The major obstacle for most farmers is the lack of information or rather where to get information. I would strongly suggest contacting ZIMTRADE located in Harare they will gladly furnish you with the appropriate information and refer accordingly. One can simply ask old faithful google for directions and contact details online or simply visit their website it has a great deal of information.Also, before engaging a consultant always request for references before engaging him or her, a little background check will help as you are bound to come across a lot of bogus individuals looking to swindle you off your hard-earnedmoney.

• Emmanuel is a qualified Agronomist with more than a decade’s experience working in the agricultural industry and development sector. You can contact him on edndsep@gmail.com

Article by

E. D.N Dube

ZIBN Agronomy correspondent