Zimbabwean agribusiness companies eye Dubai to boost trade

Zimbabwean agribusiness companies are seeking to leverage Dubai as a strategic hub to boost exports of agricultural products to the UAE.

This is according to industry experts during a recent webinar who noted that Dubai is seeing growing interest from Zimbabwean agribusiness companies.

In the webinar organized by the Dubai Chamber’s representative office in Mozambique in cooperation with DEAT Capital, DP World and Dubai Exports, existing trade synergies between the UAE and Zimbabwe were examined with high-potential bilateral business opportunities in the agribusiness sector between both countries identified.

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During the webinar, Hon. Dr. Anxious Masuka – Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement, Zimbabwe, expressed his government’s commitment to cooperating with the UAE to explore and cultivate win-win opportunities taking special consideration of the accelerated agricultural transformation unfolding in Zimbabwe.

In his keynote address, Dr Masuka stated that Zimbabwe remains steadfast in its drive to re-engage with the rest of the world in doing business to grow its exports and ultimately realise its Vision 2030.

The minister elaborated on the Zimbabwean government’s new strategies and noted that “Zimbabwe is Open for Business from seed to fork”, and described the virtual forum as an “appropriate and opportune as it supports our objective to diversify and grow exports.”

Addressing participants, H.E. Majid Saif Al Ghurair, Chairman of Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, noted that the Chamber organised the webinar in response to growing interest from Zimbabwean public and private sector stakeholders who are keen to do business with their UAE counterparts.

He highlighted the UAE’s National Food Security strategy 2051 as an ideal opportunity for businesses in both countries to align their efforts and achieve mutual benefits.

Dubai accounts for the most of the UAE’s trade with Zimbabwe, and the emirate’s non-oil trade with African country has increased from $490 million in 2011 to reach $939 million in 2019, H.E. Al Ghurair revealed, adding that there is still plenty of room to expand the scope of bilateral trade and investment.

For his part, Omar Khan – Director, International Offices, Dubai Chamber, called on Zimbabwean companies to leverage Dubai’s vast competitive advantages to their benefit as they look to expand their global reach, adding that businesses in Dubai can offer valuable expertise and support to their Zimbabwean counterparts with communication, promotion, marketing, training, manufacturing, cold chain solutions and warehousing.

A total of 535 participants from 44 countries attended the webinar, including food traders and representatives from value chain and logistics companies, agricultural producers, financial institutions, manufacturers, insurance and risk providers, export credit insurance agencies, business parks and special economic zones.

Established in 1965, the Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry is a non-profit public entity, whose mission is to represent, support and protect the interests of the business community in Dubai by creating a favourable business environment, supporting the development of business, and by promoting Dubai as an international business hub.