Zimbabwe has achieved a major milestone for its horticultural industry after exporting its first-ever shipment of blueberries to China, marking the opening of a lucrative new market following a bilateral trade agreement signed in 2025.
The inaugural export follows the implementation of a phytosanitary protocol agreed between Zimbabwe and China, giving local blueberry producers access to one of the world’s fastest-growing fruit markets while supporting the country’s ambitions to expand agricultural exports.
New Market Opens for Zimbabwean Growers
The market access agreement was signed in Beijing during President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s visit to China in September 2025 after negotiations that began in April 2024.
The protocol establishes the sanitary and phytosanitary requirements governing blueberry exports to China, allowing Zimbabwean growers to begin supplying the Asian market.
The agreement builds on a similar protocol signed for avocado exports in 2024 and aligns with China’s decision to grant zero-tariff access to products from 53 African countries with which it maintains diplomatic relations. As a result, Zimbabwean blueberries now enter the Chinese market duty-free, improving their competitiveness.
Access to One of the World’s Fastest-Growing Markets
China has become one of the fastest-growing Blueberry import markets globally, with imports rising from approximately 665 tonnes in 2005 to nearly 39,000 tonnes in 2024, driven largely by demand for premium fresh fruit.
The market has traditionally been supplied by countries such as Peru and Chile, creating new opportunities for Zimbabwean exporters seeking to diversify beyond their traditional destinations.
Industry leaders believe access to China could significantly boost export earnings as demand for high-quality fruit continues to increase.
Rapid Growth for Zimbabwe’s Blueberry Industry
Zimbabwe’s blueberry sector has expanded rapidly since commercial cultivation began on a small scale in 2008.
The country exported its first blueberries in 2017, with production growing to approximately 8,000 tonnes in 2024. Output is expected to increase to around 12,000 tonnes during 2026.
Most exports currently serve markets in the European Union, the United Kingdom and the Middle East, with China now providing an important additional destination.
Blueberries form part of Zimbabwe’s Horticulture Recovery and Growth Plan, which aims to build a US$2 billion horticulture industry through increased production and exports.
Industry Focus Turns to Expansion
Speaking during the Zimbabwe-China Investment Symposium, Horticultural Development Council Chief Executive Linda Nielsen welcomed the breakthrough while emphasising the need to expand production.
“China has opened the door. We must now make sure we have enough product to walk through it,” she said.
The council noted that future export volumes will depend on growers’ ability to comply with China’s strict sanitary and phytosanitary requirements while managing the associated certification costs.
Financing Remains a Challenge
Despite the new export opportunity, industry participants say access to affordable finance remains one of the biggest obstacles to expanding production.
Growers have identified high interest rates and limited long-term funding as key constraints to increasing planted area.
The industry plans to expand blueberry cultivation from approximately 600 hectares to 1,500 hectares, supported by a proposed US$50 million financing facility from the Infrastructure Development Bank of Zimbabwe.
If successfully implemented, the expansion is expected to strengthen Zimbabwe’s position as one of Africa’s leading blueberry exporters while creating employment, increasing foreign exchange earnings and supporting continued growth in the country’s horticultural sector.