HARARE: Zimbabwe and Namibia have signed an agreement of intent which will see the country exporting fruits and vegetables. In a statement, ZimTrade said it was co-ordinating the participation of smallholder farmers to supply the Namibian markets with fruits and vegetables such as bananas, avocados, potatoes and butternuts. Namibia is an arid country, with unsuitable conditions to grow fresh produce.
According to official statistics, the country’s import bill of fresh produce from 2010 to 2015, on average is about $60 million per annum, as highlighted in the infographic. In 2010 Namibia’s fresh produce imports were worth $61,2 million. The amount rose to $67,4 million in 2014.
ZimTrade said South Africa was the major supplier of fresh produce to Namibia. “Namibia is a middle income market with a GDP per capita of $5 467 and in addition the country has a booming tourism market and provides access to the lucrative southern Angola markets. “Trade between Zimbabwe and Namibia is governed by the Sadc Trade Protocol and the Zimbabwe —Namibia Bilateral Trade Agreement which offer preferential treatment of qualifying products into each other’s market,” ZimTrade said.
Early this month, ZimTrade signed a Memorandum of Understanding with PUM, a Netherlands business support organisation, to provide factory floor interventions, as well as expert advice to small and medium-scale farmers in the horticultural sector.
