by Tichaona Chifamba
HARARE, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe's national trade development and promotion organization ZimTrade has welcomed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between China and Zimbabwe to pave the way for the southern African country to export citrus fruits to its Asian partner.
The export deal will give Zimbabwe access to a market worth 500 million U.S. dollars annually and open new avenues for local farmers who have previously largely depended on the European market.
The fruits to be exported include oranges, mandarins, lemons, limes, tangelos and grapefruits.
ZimTrade chief executive officer Allan Majuru told Xinhua that the signed protocol was a market access requirement that allowed Zimbabwe direct access into the Chinese market.
"Zimbabwe is home to some of the top-quality citrus fruits in the world, which are already performing well in international markets such as Europe," said Majuju.
"As Zimbabwe is focusing on diversifying its export markets, China is a market with potential to be a leading importer of Zimbabwean citrus fruits," he said.
He added that the signing of the protocol fed well into ZimTrade's National Export Strategy which prioritized diversification into non-traditional markets.
"The protocol covers plant health issues such as pest and diseases. Having it in place opens up the Chinese market, which is one of the biggest and fastest-growing markets in the world," he said.
"Now the Zimbabwean farmers are working on building corresponding capacity to supply the required quantities," Majuru said.
Zimbabwe is currently working on scaling up production in its horticulture sector to meet growing demand for citrus fruits worldwide.
The Chinese Embassy in Harare also welcomed the signing of the protocol, saying that the Chinese market would soon enjoy the "sweet and juicy Zimbabwean citrus".
"China will open a Green Channel for the export of African agricultural products. It will benefit more Zimbabwean farmers," the embassy said on its Twitter account. ■
