Increase horticulture exports, says UK envoy
THE United Kingdom (UK) has called on Zimbabwean horticulture exporters to take advantage of the existing Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) to increase their exports as annual trade between the two countries rose 46 percent by June 2023.
This comes hot on the heels of the recent visit to the country by Tewkesbury Town member of parliament and Westminster Africa Business Group chairman, Mr Laurence Robertson who met President Mnangagwa to express UK’s keen interest to increase cooperation and forge closer ties with Zimbabwe for the mutual benefit of both countries, especially after Brexit.
Speaking at the second edition of the Horticulture Investment Conference held recently in Harare, UK Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mr Peter Vowles said total trade in goods and services (exports plus imports) between the UK and Zimbabwe was £469 million from July 2020 to June 2023, an increase of 44 percent or £144 million.
“We are committed as the British government to work with Zimbabwe to support trade and investments between the two countries. We have the EPA that provides duty-free market to local exporters resulting in exports reaching £469 million by June 2023, a 46 percent growth from the year before,” Mr Vowles said.
The ambassador said his government was working very hard to attract further UK investments and how to promote further investment promotion. He also took advantage of the event to present HDC with an undisclosed amount of money to support their operations.
Said Mr Vowles: “Today I am very much excited to launch or announce a partnership with the Horticultural Development Council (HDC). It’s a small amount of money but has got a catalytic power to help the HDC to grow the organisation and improve services for its members to financial support its ambitions of integrating smallholder farmers to take part and contribute in the value chain.
“This is quite an essential mutual partnership that will save Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwean economy, producers and UK in a win-win situation for all.”
Meanwhile, in a recent X (formerly twitter) post, Mr Vowles took time to comment on Mr Laurence Robertson
MP’s aforementioned visit saying it was very good to see him leading a business delegation to Harare. Mr Robertson is the chair of the Westminster Africa Business Group, which works to strengthen business links between the UK and Africa.
The UK’s current trading relationship with the Eastern and Southern Africa States (Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles and Zimbabwe) (ESA countries) is governed by the Interim
Agreement establishing a framework for an EPA between the ESA states, on the one part, and the European Community and its Member States, on the other part (the ESA-EU EPA).
The Agreement establishing an Economic Partnership between the Eastern and Southern Africa States, on the one part, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, on the other part, (the Agreement) is based on the ESA-EU EPA.
It provides duty free and quota free access into the UK for goods originating from ESA countries. It also provides for a gradual reduction of duties in ESA countries for goods originating in the UK. It is intended to provide continuity of the UK’s and the ESA countries’ rights and obligations under the ESA-EU EPA.
Meanwhile, statistics from trade statistics for international business development (TradeMap) show that there was a 70 percent increase in horticulture exports from Zimbabwe to UK by end of 2022 in comparison to 2021, with edible fruit and nuts as well as peel of citrus fruit or melons leading followed by edible vegetables and certain roots and tubers in second.