Following a plunge in output that hit the horticultural sector in the aftermath of agrarian reforms during the early 2000s, the industry has been slowly recovering. Of late, the government has been working with the private sector to rebuild capacities aimed at increasing production and output.
Passion fruit, which is the South African name for Granadilla, is one of the horticultural products that can offer lucrative returns for local farmers. At its peak in the 1990s, the sector generated about US$140 million per annum.
Marketing experts claim that passion fruit has a ready foreign market. But many local farmers are still skeptical about growing the fruit.
Our reporter, Almot Maqolo (AM) caught up with Engineer Sam Gomba (SM) to talk about how the agroindustry is very under tapped and underdeveloped.
AM: Take us through your journey as a farmer. What prompted you to venture into this sector?
SM: I started farming when I was born. I was born in Bikita, Nyahunda area, where my father was a farm holder. Of course, we moved to Gokwe and then again. In our formative years as a family, we were farmers. When I went to school, I had an appreciation of farming and also a respect for it because it is what brought us up. As a trained engineer, I am also a very critical analyst of Zimbabwe's economy and opportunities. I think in Zimbabwe the agroindustry is very under-tapped and underdeveloped. So I thought I would really go in and start from the primary side of the agro industry and develop further into value addition and the tertiary side of it, even services. We still have very little happening, and I think more can be done. I think if you look at the potential that Zimbabwe has vis-à-vis the climate, soils, and people, there is so much. So that is what really prompted me to say, “Can I jump in and do something in he agroindustry side of the economy?”
AM: We understand that you are developing a fruit production system focusing on passion fruit and citrus. Tell us more about this project.
SM: Developing fruit production. At one time, I think Zimbabwe was known for its horticultural exploits vis-à-vis flowers and Mazoe citrus fruits. I also came across, I think about 10 years ago, a farmer in Chegutu who was exporting citrus oranges. He must have only been doing about 5 hectares, but after visiting the entire processor, I realized that the horticultural industry, particularly the fruit industry, has enormous potential. It is an emerging industry that is very under-tapped. On the subject of passion fruit, you may recall that we used to enjoy granadilla-flavored yogurt from Dairibord back in the day. Where has it gone, I do not know? When I then checked on the Internet, there was much potential for passion fruit. The yields for that fruit are also quite attractive. So, over the last 6 months, I've been thinking
“Can I really get into it and try?”So, I brought in 70 plants from South Africa and planted them, and they're doing great. Having experimented with that, I am saying now that I know what is involved and it is high time to go on a big scale. We are really moving into passion fruit and we are going to be doing a lot of citrus, mainly oranges and maybe lemons. We planted about 250 orange trees, which are going to start fruiting this year. They are in their third year, so I allowed them to fruit this year. They are doing well in terms of growth, and again, we are happy with the agronomy. It was an experiment. So we are now going full-time.
AM: Climate change has re-emerged as a significant risk for many farmers. How are you responding?
SM: Climate proofing, if you want to call it that, is the way to go. I think fruit trees and fruit production are more stable compared to crops in terms of their response to the vagaries of climatic dynamics. So that is another reason why I am really saying I can invest in fruit trees. Should there be a drought, they would just park, if the water is not enough, and then the following year, should rain come through, they start fruiting. Passion fruit can actually continue fruiting for about 5 years, and oranges can do so for 50 years. So I think fruit trees are more climate-proof or resilient to climate change compared to other crops. So, climate proofing, the direction of fruit trees is the best under the situation as it is now.
AM: What are the biggest challenges you have personally faced as a farmer building your project?
SM: Not much. I think it is mainly knowledge and experience. We do not have many experienced fruit growers that can mentor you. So we really have to jump into the deep waters on our own with minimum assistance. I tried to invite other people to come and join me for the training that we had a few weeks ago on passion fruit. Again, we find skepticism. People are skeptical about the whole thing. So it is a new area where there is not much knowledge and information. That has become a challenge, but again, on the positive side, we have less competition until people start seeing things happening in our project. I think that is when we started seeing people coming in. We have even tried to go and look for loans to fund the project. We think we can handle the first 10 hectares on our own. Thereafter, once it is established, that is when we will approach the banks and other financiers to come and help us grow the project.
AM: How has the pandemic affected your operations?
SM: Covid-19 has really affected our business. Remember, I did not mention that we are mainly in horticulture production but also tomatoes, cabbages, and papers. Over the last 3 years or so, people instead of sitting at home during lockdowns have gone into horticulture production, chicken production, and all these products, if I can call them that. There is really a glut in the market because everyone has been producing, and that has really affected our margins. So, as we move away from traditional horticultural products, we are looking for products that will truly go international. Zimbabwe is not a big market for tomatoes. During the glut periods, you find tomatoes rotting at market places, and to us, that has been an effect of the pandemic. It has really kind of forced everyone to be a farmer, and that has caused a glut. But it is also positive, by the way, from a food security point of view. Our people are now really producing food in the back yard, from vegetables to chickens.
AM: What are the most effective policies or approaches authorities can put in place to provide people with greater opportunities to develop in this industry?
SM: I think it is exposure. We want to see more being done by Zimtrade, especially bringing in good markets. We also want to see policies that are more forceful and dynamic towards value addition. We see a lot of horticultural products rotting on the market during the time of blending. So we want to see more exposure and policy focused on value addition. We are happy that in Mutoko there is a vegetable processing plant and an Amarula fruit processing and value-added plant. We want to see more of these so that horticulture and food production become a force to reckon with through value addition. Certainly, we can also export finished products, which will give us more income than the export of fruit, which is happening at the moment. We want to see a policy framework that encourages production on the ground and also, in the process, encourages production on the value-added side of it.
AM: How can more school/college-aged youths be inspired to pursue farming?
I know at one time I took children from a high school here in Kwekwe to visit my farm where I raise cattle. I asked them a simple question. How many of you want to do farming? It was a whole bus full of more than 60. I think 3 kids raised their hands, and then we went for a visit. We toured the farm, and after another 2 hours, I asked the same question. How many of you want to do farming? I think more than half of the kids responded. So what really shows with that small little experiment is exposure. Our schools and children are not exposed to farming. Once they are exposed to the practical and business side of it, they will really want to be farmers. Agriculture is a dying industry. By the way, not many young people want to do farming. I think more exposure through school visits and attachments would really get more kids wanting to be involved in agriculture and, of course, to make very good money as they grow.
AM: Is the business environment conducive for the agriculture sector to thrive?
SG: The unstable currency is the biggest challenge we have at the moment. You send your produce to the market, you are paid in RTGS, and two weeks down the line, the value has been reduced to I do not know. The next thing is that agriculture is not well funded. We do not have security for funding. Some of us really sold all we had that could be used as security. So how do you borrow to expand? It is a big challenge. We really need the AFC to come back and bring in very robust policies that encourage funding. But again, we cry for funding, yet we do not have the skills. The money is thrown away. So we encourage the banking sector to have a field officer who will interact with farmers. Then they will judge and tell which farmer is supportable and which one is not. It is pointless to want to support a farmer because they have got a house as security and yet they are not able to produce. Some farmers are able to produce, but they do not have security. So we want support which is really production-based and not necessarily security based in so far as having a house or whatever asset as security. So those are, to me, some of the challenges which would really affect us as farmers in the business environment.
AM: What is your medium-term plan?
The short term is that during 2022/23 we have to be able to put in the ground 30 hectares of passion fruit and citrus. In the long term, we really want to expand further, depending on market performance and other variables, but mostly we look forward to the value addition side of it. Remember, I am an engineer and I build factories. I would want one day to be sooner rather than later in the medium term, rather than be able to build a factory that adds value to the oranges and passion fruit. As you are aware, we do not export bulky fruit, but rather finished products. That is the direction of this business, where we want to go.
AM: Finally, what advice do you have for youths just starting farming?
SG: Find a mentor. Find someone who is in the will. The will was discovered long ago. What you need to do is to get a will and start running. Do not shy away from the elderly. Make use of those grey-haired farmers. They know what farming is all about. Secondly, make use of the Internet, where there is so much information. I make sure that I go through an article at least every day, be it on YouTube or reading about what I do. I have now gone for almost 6 months reading an article about passion fruit every day or seeing a video clip about passion fruit almost every day. For that information, young people must be able to access it. You do not have to make mistakes these days. There is so much information to make use of. Another advice to young people: the government has put in resources for youth development and things like that. Take advantage of those resources and invest. Please do not shy away from being in dirty. Farming is all about playing in the soil. You must be able to play with the soil and not shy away. Also ask for parental assistance in terms of both encouragement and resources. People are saying we do not have the land anymore, but there is so much land in the rural areas, so much reserved land for people to go and utilise it. You do not have to own land, by the way. You can even go and have a lease of land from someone. So I am really saying I want to be able to work with young people as the project develops so that the legacy we pass on is a legacy of production. Zimbabwe must focus on agriculture, mining and industrial development. Let us not worry about these hi-tech things. Let us go and focus on our core competence so far as our human resources are concerned and the natural resources we have in Zimbabwe.
