Horticulture has for many years been lauded as a great business to get into for Zimbabweans. The export market, in particular, has proven to be lucrative with earnings in precious foreign currency. ZimTrade, the countries export promotion agency has been on the road and encouraging Zimbabweans to learn more about potential export markets and give it a serious go. The question inevitably comes, which crops should I grow?
I’ve compiled a list based on the popularity of the fruits and vegetables and their demand in major export destinations such as Europe and the United Kingdom. I’ve also gone ahead and researched some important metrics including the expected yield per hectare as well as retail prices for indicative purposes. There is certainly more to it such as the producer price and cost per hectare but this information proved difficult to consistently find. This list should give you an idea of just how lucrative these crops are for export.
Granadilla (Passion fruit)
The fruit of a vine plant that grows very easily, sometimes by itself, in our climate these small acidic delicacies are popular in the Northern climates. Yielding between 8 and 20 metric tonnes per hectare the fruit retails for around USD15 per kilogram.
Fine (green/bush) beans
If you have any experience with farming or cropping on any level in Zimbabwe you will know that our climate is most favourable to many varieties of pulses. These beans yield between 10 and 15 tonnes per hectare in our climate. They retail for around US$3 per kg.
Peas (mange tout and sugar snap)
I got very excited about including these because I’ve heard many good stories about people in Zimbabwe exporting them to Europe. Zimbabwe at one point exported as much as 5000 tonnes of the legumes to the UK and Netherlands. They have a yield of 2.5 – 3.5 tonnes per hectare and retail for around US$24 per kg while wholesale prices in Europe are around US$8 per kg.
Berries (blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and raspberries)
There is a great variety of berries here but I had to put them all into one group so the figures I’m going to give for them are very much generalised across the varieties. They grow very well in our climate and strawberries are probably the most popular. Yields expected for these are around 3 -4 tonnes per hectare and they retail for US$18 per kg. Blueberries and blackberries can fetch much higher prices.
Carrots
The humble carrot is a big foreign currency earner. What’s amazing about these from the Zimbabwean perspective is how easily they grow in our climate with an expected yield somewhere between 20 and 40 tonnes per hectare. This huge yield makes up for the retail price at a lowly US$1 per kg.
Corn (baby)
Corn is very similar to our staple maize and growing considerations are largely the same. Consumed both as baby and grown it also has an attractive export appeal. While regionally yields are expected around 10 to 12 tonnes per hectare, in Zimbabwe similar grains yield 4-5 tonnes per hectare.
Marrow (baby)
Baby marrow is in the same family as cucumbers, pumpkins and butternut. If you know anything about these crops you’ll know that they grow very well in our climate. Yields for marrow are expected around 7-15tonnes per hectare and the crop retails for around US$1 per kg.
Chillies (birds eye, serenade, etc)
These fiery little fruits are in demand the world over and fortunately for us grow very well in Zimbabwe. They have an amazing expected yield of between 7 and 15 tonnes per hectare while retailing in Europe at around US$25 per kg.
Broccoli
This vegetable isn’t very popular in Zimbabwe. Its temperamental cousin cauliflower is much more popular though I’m certain cabbage is the most popular in the family. It does provide decent yields between 5 and 12 tonnes per hectare. In Europe and the UK, they retail for around US$10 per kg.
Avocado
Thus far the list has been biased towards short term crops. Avocados being fruits of trees are much more of a long game crop at least in the early years. Avocado trees take between 10 and 15 years to start bearing fruit. When they do start bearing fruit you’re looking at yields of 8 – 1o tonnes per hectare. They retail for just under US$1 per kg but you can expect to harvest annually for up to 100 years.
You can find more information about the European market by clicking this link here. You should consult with ZimTrade as they have programs in place for exporters.
