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Zimbabwe, currently the leading tobacco producer in Africa, is seeing some farmers shift their focus towards a potentially transformative crop: blueberries.
A significant breakthrough in trade negotiations with China, the world’s foremost importer of this nutrient-rich fruit, has propelled Zimbabwe closer to its ambition of becoming Africa’s blueberry capital.
Last year, tobacco sales reached a record high of $1.3 billion, bolstered by increasing consumption in China.
In contrast, blueberry exports generated a more modest $30 million. However, horticulture expert Clarence Mwale remains optimistic.
“The future is food, not a bad habit,” he stated to the BBC from his Harare warehouse.
For the first time, China has agreed to import Zimbabwean blueberries, crucially exempting them from tariffs, which provides a welcome boost to the southern African nation’s economy.
“We have to strike while the iron is hot,” blueberry farmer Alistair Campbell excitedly told the BBC.
Farmers like Campbell, who currently export to Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, stand to gain access to a vast new market once Zimbabwe meets China’s compliance standards for pest and disease control.
Campbell, a former captain of Zimbabwe’s cricket team, co-owns a 50-hectare (123 acres) high-tech blueberry farm located about an hour from Harare.
Each of the 240,000 plants on the farm is cultivated in pots imported from the Netherlands or South Africa, using imported soil.
The plants receive eight waterings daily using specially treated water, and the harvested blueberries are promptly refrigerated to ensure freshness.
Campbell noted that while blueberry cultivation is demanding, the rewards are substantial, especially given the increasing global demand for this so-called superfood, known for its high vitamin and antioxidant content.
Campbell believes Zimbabwe can capitalize on the rising demand as its blueberry season begins early, in late March, allowing it to enter the market before major competitors like Peru.
“It’s all about Peru avoidance,” Campbell remarked.
Peru serves as both a competitor and an inspiration for Zimbabwean farmers. Over the past 10 to 15 years, it has transformed from accounting for less than 2% of global blueberry production to becoming the largest exporter.
Zimbabwe’s blueberry production is projected to increase by 50% this year, reaching 12,000 tonnes.
Currently, Morocco leads African production with over 80,000 tonnes in 2024.
South Africa, Zimbabwe’s neighbor, produced 25,000 tonnes.
With South Africa facing significant US tariffs, it is seeking new markets for its fruit, with China being a prime target, especially since it has pledged zero tariffs for all African nations, except Eswatini due to its close ties with Taiwan.
China has not yet agreed to take South African blueberries, boosting hopes among Zimbabwean farmers that they will be the first to access this lucrative market.
The agreement between the Zimbabwean and Chinese governments, finalized earlier this month, offers what has been described as an “unprecedented opportunity for local producers to access one of the world’s fastest-growing blueberry markets.”
“This agreement marks a milestone for Zimbabwe’s horticultural sector,” stated Linda Nielsen, Executive Director of Zimbabwe’s Horticultural Development Council.
“We now need collaboration to design policies that increase investment, boost production, and ensure our blueberries meet China’s strict quality and phytosanitary standards,” she added.
Zimbabwean farmers are currently seeking capital to increase blueberry production to 30,000 tonnes by 2030.
Expressing caution about achieving this goal, Campbell told the BBC, “It’s all good saying Zimbabwe is open for business, but the underlying fundamentals need to be correct.”
Many analysts suggest that more than 20 years after the government’s controversial land reform program, which led to the seizure of numerous white-owned farms, investors remain wary about land security, despite a new law offering full title to resettled farmers.
Zimbabwe is experiencing a severe cash crisis, requiring exporters to surrender nearly a third of their foreign currency earnings to the central bank in exchange for local currency – a practice widely resisted due to fears of devaluation.
Last year, Zimbabwe generated $30 million from blueberry exports.
While the amount is modest, the jobs created by the industry are a welcome benefit, particularly given the high unemployment rate. The sector employs approximately 6,000 people, predominantly women.
“Delicate hands are required for a delicate fruit,” Rebecca Bonzo, a supervisor at Campbell’s farm, shared with the BBC in the Shona language.
“Up to 300 women are employed during the peak harvesting season. Many are sole breadwinners who are now able to support their families,” she stated.
Clarence Mwale, the founder of Kuminda, which represents a collective of small- and medium-scale farmers, is encouraging more of them to venture into blueberry farming.
He cites his success with other crops, noting that approximately 5,000 small-scale farmers now supply horticultural products, primarily mange touts and sugar snap peas, to the UK and other European markets, a feat unimaginable 15 to 20 years ago.
Mwale is currently seeking around 100 young farmers to diversify into blueberry farming and take advantage of China’s decision to open its market to Zimbabweans.
“As the Chinese market opens up…it gives us much more scope,” he told the BBC. “Previously, we were scrambling for the European markets, which we haven’t been able to fully satisfy. Now, we have a vast market that we need to fill.”
“It offers everyone an opportunity to get involved in blueberry production.”
Zimbabwe has traditionally been a tobacco-producing nation.
However, having fueled a less healthy habit in China, it now seeks to promote a health food there, aspiring to achieve the status of Africa’s blueberry capital in the process.
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