HARARE (Reuters) -Zimbabwe can start exporting blueberries to China after it agreed a protocol on phytosanitary standards, an industry body said on Thursday.
The agreement was concluded during Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s visit to China this week, where he met President Xi Jinping during commemorations to mark 80 years since Japan’s defeat at the end of World War Two.
Zimbabwe’s Horticultural Development Council (HDC) said the agreement “opens the door for local growers to expand into one of the world’s fastest-growing blueberry markets”.
The scale of Zimbabwe’s blueberry exports to China would be guided by the new protocol’s sanitary and phytosanitary requirements and the related compliance costs, the HDC said in a statement.
Zimbabwe, whose blueberry production is among the fastest-growing globally, is projected to produce 12,000 metric tons of blueberries in 2025, from 8,000 metric tons in 2024.
Global consumption has increased in recent years due to its perceived health benefits and Zimbabwe, where climatic conditions allow high yields from open field planting and early delivery into export markets, is looking to capitalise on booming demand.
However, the HDC says Zimbabwe’s blueberry production potential is limited by high interest rates and limited access to long-term financing, as well as a rule requiring all exporters to retain only 75% of their export earnings in U.S. dollars while converting the balance into local currency.
Growers are also seeking income tax holidays, a removal of import duty for key inputs and a reduction in land levies as they nurse the nascent industry.
(Reporting by Nelson Banya; Editing by Alex Richardson)
