By Alois Vinga
TRADE Promotion Agency, ZimTrade is currently targeting a lucrative US$413 million lucrative import market amid calls for local companies to tap into the potential.
The opportunities were revealed recently when ZimTrade alongside selected companies participated at the 4th Türkiye Africa Business and Economic Forum held in Istanbul, Turkey.
The forum was organised by the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey (DEIK) and brought together more than 3,000 businesspeople, policymakers, and experts from Türkiye and 54 African countries.
In line with ZimTrade`s mandate to grow trade between the two countries, a series of B2B meetings with various Turkish companies were conducted, with results showing potential for Zimbabwean products to penetrate the market.
Buyers indicated an interest in sourcing from Zimbabwe, with a special focus on sectors such as agriculture, mining, construction, and energy among others.
“Some of the products showcased to potential buyers include the coffee, produced in Manicaland. As buyers tasted the product, they noted that it has higher quality compared to some products coming from Africa, indicating a potential for Zimbabwean processed foods to perform well in the market.
“The coffee samples attracted interest from several Turkish roasters and distributors, who expressed their willingness to explore further business opportunities with Zimbabwean coffee producers,” said ZimTrade in an update.
The trade promotion agency said currently, the import bill of coffee in Türkiye is US$413 million, up from the US$232,670 million recorded in 2021 which is a 77,5% increase, according to Trade Map with most of the imports being sourced from Brazil, India and Netherlands with Uganda and Ethiopia being the only African countries in the top ten.
“Zimbabwean companies looking to penetrate the coffee market must ensure they meet issues on food safety, quality, and environmental impact and social responsibility.
“Focus should be on applying good agricultural practices to reduce the presence of food contaminants, as the risk of contamination of any kind can be prevented by better growing, drying, processing and storage practices,” added ZimTrade.
