HARARE, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- The year 2024 has witnessed significant milestones in China-Zimbabwe cooperation in the agriculture sector, a cornerstone of Zimbabwe's economy.
Trade between the two sides increased, while China's support for Zimbabwe's technical expertise and human resources development in the agriculture sector also expanded.
According to the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency, a national investment promotion body, the agriculture sector sustains more than 60 percent of Zimbabwe's population, provides 63 percent of raw materials for the manufacturing sector, generates 30 percent of export earnings, and contributes 15 percent to gross domestic product.
In a bid to further open China's market to Zimbabwean agricultural products, a trade protocol on the export of Zimbabwean avocados was inked during Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa's state visit to China in September, ahead of the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.
Rodwell Choto, an avocado farmer from Bindura, Mashonaland Central Province, is among those preparing to meet the expected surge in demand from China.
"Exports to China will give us foreign currency, our economy will grow, and our livelihoods will improve," Choto told Xinhua in a recent interview, noting that avocado farmers are ramping up production.
According to the Horticultural Development Council, an organization representing horticultural exporters in Zimbabwe, the Southeast African country is projected to produce a record 6,000 metric tons of avocados in 2024, with its avocado industry set to expand the growing area from the current 1,500 hectares to 4,000 hectares by 2030.
This builds on earlier successes, including a 2022 trade agreement enabling the export of fresh citrus to China, which saw its first shipment in 2023.
"This is a chance for African agriculture now to become part of the global food value chain," said Christopher Mutsvangwa, politburo member and secretary for information and publicity at the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU PF) party.
Zimbabwe's tobacco sub-sector has also flourished in 2024, bolstered by China's market access.
Tobacco, an important economic activity and a major foreign currency earner for Zimbabwe, Africa's largest tobacco producer, saw exports to China rise 38.3 percent to 790 million U.S. dollars in the first nine months of 2024, accounting for 40.6 percent of Zimbabwe's total exports to China, according to data released by the Chinese Embassy in Zimbabwe.
The overall trade figures between Zimbabwe and China grew 25.6 percent to 3 billion dollars in the same period, the Chinese embassy added.
Despite these significant milestones this year, a severe drought has caused crop failures and livestock losses, greatly undermining the agriculture sector. In response, China launched a project to drill 300 boreholes in four provinces of the country.
"These boreholes will not only provide safe water to the affected community, but will also serve as a stepping stone towards resilience building in view of the current El Nino-induced drought, and will also save the lives of our livestock which is also in dire need of water," said Zimbabwe's Minister of National Housing and Social Amenities Daniel Garwe.
China's support extends beyond infrastructure to human resource development. Collaborative efforts have focused on capacity building and technical assistance to enhance agricultural productivity.
As part of this initiative, Zimbabwean officials and professionals have attended seminars and workshops in China, equipping them with skills to modernize agriculture.
Jotamu Dondofema, director of agricultural education in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development, is among the officials who attended a seminar on the construction of green, low carbon, and circular economic systems in China this year.
"This program has already yielded significant benefits. We have witnessed large numbers of successfully trained personnel, improved technologies in the agricultural value chains, the establishment of renewable energy sources and systems, and information and technology-sharing platforms anchoring capacity-building initiatives. These efforts have enhanced the employability and competitiveness of Zimbabwean professionals while also promoting the adoption of green technologies and sustainable practices," Dondofema said.
