Interview: Zimbabwe seeks to diversify exports to China

HARARE, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Trade between Zimbabwe and China has been on a positive trajectory, and Zimbabwe is seeking to diversify its exports to the Asian country, the head of ZimTrade, Zimbabwe's trade development and promotion organization, has said.

China is one of Zimbabwe's biggest trading partners, both in terms of exports and imports, ZimTrade Chief Executive Officer Allan Majuru told Xinhua in an interview on Tuesday. "On the export side, apart from tobacco and minerals... we are diversifying into horticulture."

Last year, Zimbabwe's agricultural exports to China received a significant boost when the southern African country marked its first citrus exports to China.

Zimbabwe seeks to export more of its agricultural produce to the vast Chinese market, Majuru said. The country now mainly exports minerals and tobacco leaves to China.

"Quite recently, the protocol on the export of citrus was put into place, and last year, we managed to export more than 40 containers of citrus into China," he said. "We are currently discussing the one for avocados."

"We also want to incorporate blueberries, pecan nuts, chilies, and sesame, just to mention a few, to make sure that we grow the export basket and diversify it to China," Majuru added.

He said ZimTrade has been working closely with Chinese authorities to create a conducive platform for the diversification of exports into the Chinese market.

It also assists businesses in meeting Chinese import regulations and standards, Majuru said.

Trade between the two countries hit a record high of 3.12 billion U.S. dollars in 2023, reflecting a 29.9 percent increase from the previous year, according to the Chinese Embassy in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe exported 1.71 billion U.S. dollars to China and imported 1.41 billion U.S. dollars from China, resulting in a trade surplus of 307 million U.S. dollars for Zimbabwe, according to the Chinese embassy.

Majuru said the bulk of Zimbabwe's imports from China are machinery and equipment, which aids in growing the country's industrial base.