Since its first exports in 2017, the blueberry sector in Zimbabwe has surged. South Africa’s northern neighbour exported 5 500 metric tonnes of blueberries last year.
Linda Nielsen, CEO of the Horticultural Development Council, describes this growth as “incredible,” but notes that capital constraints are holding back the industry from expanding further.
“This year we’re aiming for 8 000 tonnes,” Nielsen told Fresh Plaza.
“However, the expansion is not from new plantings, but from plant maturity because we still don’t have enough capital to expand.”
She noted that key obstacles included restrictive foreign exchange policies and high borrowing costs—hindering the sector’s potential.
Exponential growth
Looking ahead, the industry has set an ambitious target of reaching 1 500 hectares of blueberry cultivation by 2030, producing 30 000 metric tonnes annually.
“This could bring in as much revenue as our total horticultural exports did back in the 1990s,” Nielsen added.
“But to do this, we estimate that growers would need a major investment of around US$240 million (R4.4 billion) in new investment.”
Despite these challenges, Zimbabwe’s broader horticulture sector has shown promising growth. Exports currently exceed 113 million metric tonnes, driven by resilient traditional crops like citrus and the rising demand for blueberries.
Significant blueberry exports from SA
In related news, South Africa’s blueberry industry should see a 10% increase in international exports in 2024.
The blueberry season kicked off in South Africa’s northern regions. The bulk of exports however come from Western Cape harvests in the latter half of the year.
In 2023, South Africa exported just over 22 000 tonnes of blueberries, though this was short of the 25 000 tonnes which was forecast.
“We had some difficult conditions during the harvest which slowed down picking and packing,” said Brent Walsh, chief executive of Berries ZA.
“We are also in a phase of introducing new varieties which positions us for long term growth.” Read more on that story here.
Does Zimbabwe have the potential to rival SA in fruit exports?
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