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

I did not even bother to watch the Liverpool vs Barcelona match yesterday. I instead  followed the preparations of the elections in South Africa watching closely the debates and opinion polls. No need to watch a dead rubber-Liverpool was out! Of course I have watched remarkable come backs….plenty of them but there was no way Liverpool was going to overturn the defeat of 3-0! I don’t do soccer betting but surely if someone had said Liverpool was going to win, everyone was going to be against you. Common sense isn’t it? Barca beats you 3-0 and you expect Liverpool to win 4-0? You need your head to be examined!

But this is soccer…they call it the beautiful game and nothing is impossible! Liverpool romped to a 4-0 victory at Anfield in one of the best matches this year…unbelievable stuff.

Entrepreneurship lessons First Leg

You have the first leg as a startup, you have high hopes of profits, you have seen others making money…the field is profitable. You do your meticulous planning, good market research and an award winning business plan. You put your resources together and plunge into the business field. You have the support of family and friends and looking forward to a victory.

Within a few months your world is shattered by events on the ground, silly goals conceded as some employees vanish with inventory or cash. Big clients do not honour obligations, the foreign currency markets swing southwards, inflation throws spanners into your business. The wheels come off and you concede 3-0! But hold on, this is not what you had planned…where are the profits? Dejected, embarrassed, distraught, disappointed- you walk off the pitch with your tail between the legs and throw in the towel. Your nemesis celebrate your fall from grace…you set social media alight with memes of your loss.

Entrepreneurship Lessons Second Leg

You have a tsunami against you. A tsunami, a cyclone, a volcanic eruption plus an earthquake to deal with. You are in the red, no one has trust in you any more…after all you proved it in the first leg that you are a hopeless team-perhaps directionless and many start asking how on earth you even managed to get there in the first place. However you refuse to give up-you go back to the drawing board and restrategise, you analyse your mistakes in the first leg, you look yourself in the mirror and motivate your players. You ooze confidence and rally your supporters to come and support you. You already know the pain of defeat, the embarrassment and the jeers from opponents. Hold on…you have nothing to lose. With chest high, confidence boosted you step in onto the pitch with one objective…perform a Houdini act and ride the tsunami wave, escape the volcanic ash and overturn the first leg defeat.

Dear forumite, you too can perform a ‘Liverpool Miracle’ and yes its possible. Its not an everyday occurrence as more than 90%of entrepreneurs who start encounter losses in the first 6 months and give up. Some do not even analyse what went wrong in the first leg. The shame and pain from the first leg is too much to even try again.

At what stage are you in your business? First leg? Expect a thorough drubbing and its normal-you don’t have the skills and experience….after defeat review what went wrong, get a mentor for motivation, learn from others and confidently enter the pitch again.

Congrats in order to Liverpool fans and wishing you the best in the final.