In the community

Ecstasy as Zimbabwe’s smallholder farmers secure European pineapple market

Published

4 years ago

January 4, 2022

BY TONDERAYI MUKEREDZI

In her wildest dreams, smallholder farmer Sarudzai Sithole never imagined that her pineapples could someday stock the produce section of Europe’s finest supermarkets.

Now, the 34-year-old mother of five is part of a group of 45 farmers in Rusitu Valley in Chipinge, a district in Zimbabwean eastern province of Manicaland, who from December 2021 would be exporting nearly 50 tonnes of their pineapples to the Netherlands.

“This is the best experience I have heard in the 14 years that I have been growing pineapples.

“I have been selling my pineapples locally to buyers from Mutare, Harare and Bulawayo during this period, but it has been for a small profit.

“I will be selling two tonnes, and at the price of 70 cents that we have been promised, the exported crop will greatly improve my life and that of my family,” an excited Sithole told IPS.

She says pineapple farming has enabled her to build a house, buy various household goods and send children to school.

She is increasing her crop hectarage, hoping that the rewards from the exported crop will empower her to electrify the family home, among other major home improvements.

When growing the pineapples, Sithole says they do not apply fertilisers or chemicals but manure only.

Dudzai Ndiadzo, the Rusitu Fruit Growers and Marketing Trust administrator, said the farmers’ dream to export their produce to Europe became a reality in August (2021).

Their pineapples got organic certification from Ecocert Organic Standard, a French quality control body whose certification allows the farmers to send their organic products to international markets.

The 45 villagers belong to the trust.

Farmers in Chipinge and most of Zimbabwe’s prime farming areas incur heavy post-harvest losses because their produce often rots by the roadside as they struggle to secure markets or transport their produce to the markets.

Chipinge farmers formed Rusitu Fruit Growers and Marketing Trust to market their crops. It represents over 1 300 farmers.

The farmers were victims of Cyclone Idai. This tropical cyclone hit their home area of Chipinge and Chimanimani in 2019, killing over 180 people, destroying 7,000 households and infrastructure and leaving 4,000 people food insecure, but their pineapple crop was not destroyed.

Ndiadzo said most farmers have been growing pineapples but not on a commercial scale because the market for pineapples wasn’t that good.

“We are excited to be exporting because the local market for pineapples is poor. The money from the export market is better – it is double or more what we would have gotten here,” he told IPS.

Confronted with market access challenges, Rusitu Fruit Growers and Marketing Trust engaged the country’s export promotion body, Zimtrade, which offered training and technical expertise to the farmers on how to grow pineapples organically.

In 2017, the farmers started working with Zimtrade to get organic certification and have been supported in the certification and export quest by organisations such as COLEACP, Embassy of Netherlands in Zimbabwe, and Netherlands based PUM and RVO International.

Zimtrade has a long-standing partnership with PUM, where experts offer technical interventions to Zimbabwean exporters in different sectors to improve their quality and production processes for export.

Through the collaboration with PUM, Zimtrade developed links with food companies in the Netherlands that have made it possible for smallholders to export their crops.

Admire Jongwe, Zimtrade’s manager for eastern region, says the organic certification is a critical milestone in reaching the lucrative organic fruit market, especially in the United States of America, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Germany and other emerging markets such as the United Arab Emirates.

“The organic certification will enable the farmers to fetch as much as 30 percent premium on their produce in most supermarkets in Europe.

This will improve their returns as well as boost their livelihoods from producing the pineapple,” he tells IPS.

Jongwe says with organic standards, the smallholder pineapple farmers will access the global pineapple market, which has grown from US$2,3 billion in 2011 to US$2,5 billion in 2020, according to Trade Map.

Zimbabwe averages US$18 million per year in the total trade value of fruit and vegetable exports.

Figures from Zimtrade shows that during the first half of 2021, Zimbabwe’s horticulture exports topped US$30 million with tea, macadamia nuts, fresh flowers, leguminous vegetables, largely contributing to the revenue.

The country used to be one of Africa’s biggest exporters of horticulture, but horticulture exports have been tumbling over the years.

Europe is currently the largest export market for the Zimbabwean horticulture sector, with the Netherlands and the United Kingdom leading the pack. – IPS

In the community

Free dental outreach treats over 700 in Victoria Falls

Published

3 days ago

March 17, 2026

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

More than 700 residents in Victoria Falls have received free dental care following a three-day outreach programme held at Mkhosana Clinic.

The initiative, led by global charity SmileStar in partnership with CIMAS, saw 705 patients treated between 9 and 11 March. The programme builds on previous outreach efforts in the region and is expanding this year to include Matobo.

A team of 16 volunteer dental professionals—many from Dentex—provided urgent treatment, pain relief, and oral health education, while also sharing skills with local healthcare workers.

Team leader Dr Mitesh Badiani said tooth decay linked to high sugar consumption, particularly among children, was the most common issue encountered.

“Many of these dental problems are preventable, and education plays a key role in helping to avoid such problems in the future,” he said.

The outreach received support from Africa Albida Tourism, with the team hosted at Victoria Falls Safari Lodge.

Africa Albida Tourism managing director Nigel Frost said the initiative would have lasting benefits for the community.

“This initiative provides vital dental care and education that will continue to benefit the residents of Victoria Falls long after the clinics have ended,” he said.

Mark Cockburn added that the programme highlighted the impact of volunteerism in addressing healthcare gaps.

Following the Victoria Falls outreach, SmileStar continued its programme in Hwange, before moving to Matobo today and tomorrow at Ethandweni Children’s Home, with a target of treating more than 1 000 patients across the three regions.

In the community

Kamativi mine to relocate 65 graves to pave way for operations

Published

3 days ago

March 17, 2026

VicFallsLive

BY STAFF REPORTER

Sixty-five human remains are set to be exhumed from the Kamativi Mining Company premises in Matabeleland North as the firm moves to clear a section of land earmarked for ongoing mining operations.

The development follows a formal notice issued by Kamativi Mining Company in compliance with the Cemeteries Act, which governs the handling and relocation of human remains.

“Notice is hereby issued by Kamativi Mining Company in compliance with the Cemeteries Act, Chapter 5:04, regarding the relocation and reburial of 65 graves situated within the dry tailings operational area at Kamativi Mine, located in the Hwange District of Matabeleland North Province,” the notice read.

According to the company, the relocation is necessary to ensure that mining activities within the affected zone can proceed safely and sustainably.

The graves are located within the mine’s dry tailings operational area, a key section linked to current and planned extraction processes.

While the notice outlines compliance with legal requirements, the move is likely to raise sensitivities among local communities, given the cultural and emotional significance attached to burial sites.

Kamativi Mining Company has urged stakeholders and individuals with concerns or inquiries to engage directly with the company for further clarification on the exhumation and reburial process.

No timeline for the relocation has been publicly disclosed.

Additional reporting source: Byo24 News

In the community

Hwange West MP demands urgent action after two killed by elephants in Victoria Falls

Published

3 weeks ago

February 26, 2026

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

VICTORIA FALLS – Hwange West legislator Vusumuzi Moyo has called for urgent and decisive intervention to address escalating human-elephant conflict after two people were killed by elephants in Victoria Falls within the space of a week.

Rising on a point of national interest in the National Assembly, Moyo said the recent deaths had left families in mourning and exposed the growing danger faced by communities living near wildlife corridors.

“In closing, Mr Speaker Sir, I want to convey my message to two families within Victoria Falls. This happened within a week. They lost their lives because of this conflict,” Moyo said. “In a space of a week, two families are mourning the loss of their loved ones.”

Victoria Falls and surrounding communities, which border wildlife areas, have in recent years experienced increased incidents of elephants straying into residential areas, destroying crops and infrastructure, and in some cases fatally attacking residents.

Moyo told Parliament that the crisis must no longer be viewed solely as a conservation issue but as a matter of human dignity and national development.

“My issue is not merely about wildlife management. It is about national development, constitutional responsibility and ultimately, protecting human dignity,” he said.

He warned that communities from Kariba to Binga, and in tourism corridors around Victoria Falls, are “under siege” from escalating human-elephant conflict.

“Families are losing crops, infrastructure is being destroyed and tragically, lives continue to be lost. This House cannot ignore the cries of rural citizens who coexist with wildlife every day,” Moyo said.

The Hwange West MP defended previous government decisions to cull elephants in high-conflict zones, arguing that such measures were sometimes necessary to restore ecological balance and protect human life.

“These are not acts of recklessness but acts of necessity because conservation must never come at the expense of human survival,” he said.

While acknowledging the importance of non-lethal measures such as fencing and translocation, Moyo said in some areas those interventions were no longer sufficient on their own.

He urged authorities to urgently implement provisions of the Parks and Wildlife Act, promulgated on 28 November 2025, particularly in communities bordering national parks.

“It is my sincere hope that the implementation of the Parks and Wildlife Act… will be taken to the areas that border within national parks so that people appreciate and that the regulations can be done as fast as possible,” he said.

Moyo stressed that Parliament must strike a balance between conservation and protecting human life.

“The people are not asking Parliament to choose between elephants and human beings. They are asking us to restore the balance,” he said.

The latest fatalities have renewed debate in Victoria Falls over how authorities can better safeguard residents while maintaining Zimbabwe’s strong conservation reputation.