FAO and Partners Accelerate Solutions for Formal Cross-Border Agritrade in Southern Africa
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the Governments of Zimbabwe and Mozambique and supported financially by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), has initiated a high-level policy dialogue at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF). This dialogue aims to transition the value chains of sesame, macadamia, and tomatoes from informal trading to a competitive, export-oriented agro-industrial framework.
Context of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair
ZITF serves as a significant international platform for deal-making, policy dialogue, and investment networking. The FAO’s side event is integral to advancing the Zimbabwe–Mozambique Agriculture Value Chain and Trade Development Project (Zim–Moza ATDP). This project focuses on developing agricultural value chains and facilitating trade between Zimbabwe and Mozambique, specifically targeting the macadamia, sesame, and tomato sectors.
The Zim–Moza ATDP aims to transform agrifood systems, integrate smallholder farmers into global value chains, and promote sustainable economic growth. Key objectives include formalizing trade, reducing non-tariff barriers, and encouraging private sector investment in aggregation, processing, and logistics. Funded by the Italian government to the tune of 3.5 million Euros, the project is set to be implemented over three years.
Regional Integration and Trade Connectivity
The theme of ZITF 2026, “Connected Economies, Competitive Industries,” underscores the importance of regional integration and trade connectivity. This theme aligns with the enabling environment that the Zim–Moza ATDP aims to establish along the Beira Corridor and broader regional markets.
Patrice Talla, FAO Subregional Coordinator for Southern Africa, emphasized the significance of ZITF in bringing together various stakeholders, including farmers, regulators, buyers, financiers, and logistics actors. The goal is to transition from fragmented informal trade to structured, traceable value chains that reward quality, unlock export markets, and attract investment.
Addressing Constraints in Cross-Border Agricultural Trade
The Zim–Moza ATDP is one of two transboundary initiatives launched by Zimbabwe and Mozambique with support from the Italian government through AICS and technical coordination by FAO. Together with the Transboundary Integrated Sustainable Management of Miombo Woodlands Project, these programs represent an integrated approach linking sustainable landscapes with inclusive economic growth.
The Zim–Moza ATDP specifically targets constraints that hinder Zimbabwe–Mozambique cross-border agricultural trade. These constraints include informality, weak buyer-seller linkages, limited compliance capacity regarding sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards, high transaction costs, and gaps in aggregation and post-harvest systems.
Maria Cabral, Mozambique’s National Project Coordinator, highlighted the importance of organized trade through farmer aggregation and reliable quality verification. This approach can transform sesame into an export earner rather than a crop relegated to informal routes. The emphasis on formalization is seen as a pathway to stable markets, fairer prices, and improved access to finance.
Strategic Dialogue and Actionable Steps
The side event was strategically designed to transition stakeholders from shared policy intent to practical action. It opened with remarks from FAO and partners to align participants on the Zim–Moza ATDP objectives and the opportunities presented by ZITF as a strategic trade and investment platform. The dialogue included segments focused on real production and market constraints, incorporating farmer experiences to ground the discussion in practical realities.
The program featured a moderated panel and interactive discussions aimed at unpacking key bottlenecks, especially regarding SPS compliance, quality standards, structured markets, and financing. This collaborative approach enabled buyers, processors, financiers, regulators, and service providers to agree on actionable steps to make macadamia, sesame, and tomatoes export-ready.
Gift Mugano, a panellist from Africa Economic Development Strategies, stated that export competitiveness begins with robust systems, traceability, standards enforcement, predictable trade rules, and logistics. Markets finance and reward what they can verify, making these elements critical for success.
Emphasizing Standards and Compliance
Panelists underscored the necessity of formalization, traceability, and enforceable market rules in transforming the macadamia, sesame, and tomato value chains into competitive, export-ready sectors. Discussions highlighted the need for registering farmers and buyers, strengthening contract enforcement and dispute resolution, and building structured market platforms to reduce side-marketing while enhancing price transparency and fairness.
Speakers framed standards, grading, and SPS compliance as essential enablers for trade. They argued that compliance should be viewed as an investment that unlocks higher-value markets rather than a cost burden. This perspective aligns with the event’s focus on promoting structured cross-border trade and enhancing institutional collaboration around compliance systems and market access.
Addressing Productivity and Logistics Challenges
A significant focus of the discussions was on where value is lost before products reach export channels. Issues such as productivity gaps, post-harvest losses, and inadequate logistics were identified as critical challenges. Panelists noted that while farmers often meet basic safety expectations, they lack support in handling, packaging, and cross-border requirements, which can drive trade into informal routes.
Low yields relative to varietal potential and poor post-harvest systems, particularly for perishables like tomatoes, lead to distress selling during surplus periods and losses from spoilage. Investments in cold chain logistics, aggregation centers, and coordinated logistics are deemed essential to address these challenges.
The Path Forward
The discussions also emphasized the importance of investment-enabling finance and partnerships, including blended finance approaches, risk mitigation, and buyer/processor engagement. These elements are crucial for scaling value addition and stabilizing trade flows across the corridor.
FAO and its partners are committed to following up on the outcomes of the policy dialogue through targeted actions. These include technical engagements on formalizing sesame trade, enhancing compliance capacity support for SPS and quality systems, and facilitating investment matchmaking for aggregation, processing, and logistics solutions. The Zim–Moza ATDP will continue to convene public-private platforms to translate policy dialogue into operational improvements across the macadamia, sesame, and tomato value chains.
Source: www.zawya.com
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