Harare, (New Ziana) -The Zimbabwe government has officially launched a multimillion-dollar initiative aimed at unlocking international markets for smallholder farmers through expanded horticulture production, aggregation, and export support.
Speaking at the launch ceremony in Harare on Wednesday, Deputy Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Vangelis Haritatos, said the Horticulture Enterprise Enhancement Project (HEEP) is designed to integrate smallholder farmers into the global value chain, giving them access to regional and international markets that were once the preserve of large commercial producers.
Haritatos said the horticulture sector holds massive potential to contribute to the Zimbabwean economy, and the HEEP is a direct move to unlock that opportunity.
“We are now moving away from horticulture being a traditionally commercial sector and bringing in the smallholder farmer to benefit from international trade,” he said.
He explained that the HEEP will make use of a hub and spoke model to bring together small scale farmers through aggregation, allowing them to achieve economies of scale, making their produce attractive and competitive on the global market.
“If we take ten farmers each producing on one hectare, when aggregated, that becomes a very big enterprise. Ten hectares is massive, So we are now enabling farmers not only to sell to local markets, but also to tap into export opportunities,” he said.
Haritatos added that Zimbabwe’s favourable climate and access to water give the country a comparative advantage in horticulture, with growing demand for its produce from the European Union, the UK, and China.
Launched under the broader framework of the Horticulture Recovery and Growth Plan, the HEEP is an eight-year program running from 2023 to 2031 and is co-financed by the Government of Zimbabwe, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), with a total project cost of US$66.5 million.
Its objective is to support increased and sustainable horticultural production and sales by smallholder farmers (SHFs) as well as micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), specifically targeting rural households with fewer immediate opportunities for commercial horticulture.
The HEEP will establish 620 Village Horticulture Gardens (VHGs) across four provinces, namely Manicaland, Masvingo, Matabeleland South, and Midlands, with 155 VHGs per province, and in each province, five districts will be targeted, with ten wards selected per district.
In Manicaland, the districts include Makoni, Mutasa, Chimanimani, Chipinge, and Nyanga while Masvingo, it will be implemented in Gutu, Masvingo, Zaka, Mwenezi, and Chiredzi.
Matabeleland South will see activity in Beitbridge, Insiza, Gwanda, Matobo, and Mangwe while in the Midlands, the project covers Gweru, Chirumanzu, Shurugwi, Zvishavane, and Mberengwa.
Through the structure, the project aims to uplift 50 000 smallholder farmers directly, with another 50 000 benefiting indirectly through employment, improved infrastructure, and better market linkages.
“We are empowering our smallholder farmers, youth and women to take centre stage in horticulture. This project is not just about farming, it’s about transforming livelihoods and ensuring no one and no place is left behind,” said Haritatos.
The HEEP will also introduce an export horticulture revolving fund, offering short to medium-term financing for up to five years, to assist horticultural producers scale up and meet export standards.
As Zimbabwe aims to become an upper-middle-income economy by 2030, the government sees horticulture as a key economic driver capable of contributing up to US$2.5 billion annually and creating over 600 000 direct jobs.
New Ziana
