The agricultural and food sector remains one of the most lucrative business industry (or industries). Last year I was underscoring how entering these spaces is worth it. Even this year, 2021, it is still worth it which is why I have decided to write this article. In this article, I will discuss 6 agribusiness and food opportunities worth a shot this year. These domains will always be active especially considering how that population surges and climate change is adversely affecting food security. This means any endeavour to make food available is highly likely to have huge returns.
Vegetable Farming
Vegetable farming which falls broadly under horticulture is one of the most active agricultural activities in Zimbabwe and the world over. I am talking about vegetables such as tomatoes, leafy greens, butternuts, cucumbers, onions, and eggplants, just to mention a few. There is a consistently high demand for these vegetables throughout the year. As much as you can score big just by concentrating on the Zimbabwean market I want you to seriously consider growing them for export. Export markets need not necessarily be far, they can be regional markets in Africa. I believe there are many opportunities in vegetable farming for export.
Fish Farming And More…
Do you have any idea how African nations generally import fish, Zimbabwe included? I do not think this is a healthy business practise since imports do not boost economy strength. Some African countries import almost US$1 billion worth of fish annually. Just imagine! There is a need to enhance fish farming activities in the country to do away with imports at all. I am pleased to see that more and more people are taking up fish farming – particularly tilapia fish farming. We need to see more of that and it must go beyond just selling raw fish. We need to see products being processed from fish and we have to also export for us to earn foreign currency. A few months (about 3) ago I was chatting to someone who had just started tilapia fish farming. She started with 1000 fish which gave birth to over 5000 fingerlings – literally, her pond got overpopulated. That is how awesome tilapia fish farming is, go for it!
Food Deliveries
Here I am not necessarily referring to food deliveries to individuals per se. I have covered that several times in other articles. My focus here is food deliveries to food-related businesses e.g. hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, and so on. Thus the food in question can be anything from processed to unprocessed, from finished products to fresh produce. Start a business that exclusively focuses on being a regular supplier of food products to clients such as I have mentioned. You do not even necessarily need to be the producer (though you can be if you can or want). You can strike working partnerships with producers so that you source from them and supply to clients. The whole crux is to create a streamlined supply and value chain for food products. There are so many ways to approach this so take time to brainstorm.
Agricultural Inputs
Due to the surge in agricultural activities, the need for inputs has shot up also. By inputs, I am not only referring to mechanical implements per se though they are definitely part of it. Inputs here also refer to chemicals (e.g. insecticides, pesticides, herbicides, and the like); chemicals also refer to livestock-related chemicals such as antibiotics, disinfectants, and so on. Other types of inputs are seeds and fertilizers. Sourcing and selling these, plus hiring out where possible, are now big opportunities to make money with. Think about it!
Cassava
You probably know about cassava, most of you do. You mostly know of its popularity in countries like Nigeria or Ghana. However, I feel in Zimbabwe we could be sitting on a great business opportunity. Already Zimbabwe’s main foods are starch-based which means a widespread appreciation for cassava is not a tall order. Interestingly, in countries where it is mainstream e.g. Nigeria, it is reported that farmers are failing to meet the demand. That is an opportunity to export, probably right? After all, several products can be manufactured from cassava e.g. flour.
Blueberries
Have you ever thought about farming blueberries? Well, this year I urge you to look deeper into this area because it is laden with potential. Sure enough, some farmers in Zimbabwe grow blueberries but it is not yet that widespread. Due to the increasing awareness of people wanting to eat healthy foods and all blueberries are globally rising in their demand. One of the strategic export markets for blueberries is the Netherlands. You could even find institutions in the Netherlands willing to bankroll your operations here. I urge you to look into blueberry farming – in due course, I might do an article exclusively on it.
Take your time to do your own independent research but I bet you these opportunities are worth exploring. Often time people tend to get used to the status quo and never really notice opportunities in plain sight. These are some of those opportunities.
