Secretary General of Zimbabwe has joined the Association of Exporters of Fresh Fruits of the Southern Hemisphere (SHAFFE) just as more than 40 smallholder herb and spice growers in Kenya are now exporting their produce.
SHAFFE’s Secretary-General, Nelli Hajdu, who made the development public said, “we are very happy to announce the addition of Zimbabwe to SHAFFE, represented through the Zimbabwe Horticultural Development Council.”
The incorporation took place during Fruit Logistica, an event that had its first face-to-face version again, taking place from early this April.
SHAFFE and its associated members were present at the 2022 version of Fruit Logistica. An event that, as they specified, was widely expected by the sector, but at the same time, it was necessary to be able to meet again with the clients or potential clients that attend the fair, to know the trends and the present and future situation of the markets.
“As SHAFFE we are working on the incorporation of more members. Growing and positioning our entity is one of our objectives. The producing and exporting countries of fresh fruit in the Southern Hemisphere are an important part of the international trade of fresh products and Zimbabwe is one of these countries,” said Charif Christian Carvajal, President of SHAFFE and representative of ASOEX, Chile.
In the meantime, to many small-scale farmers, exporting their produce sounds like a far-fetched dream or a preserve for the rich who can grow different types of crops in tons.
The same goes for more than 40 smallholder herb and spice growers in two settlement schemes of Rongai, Subukia, Njoro, Molo, Gilgil and Bahati sub-Counties.
The farmers grow dill, chives, rosemary, basil, mint, chillies, fennel, oregano, sage and thyme among others.
They have come together under the leadership of an exporter, Ruth Munyoro, to aggregate their produce in two packhouses and pull resources to export it. Produce aggregated from Matuiku and Boror in Settlement Schemes in Elburgon and Rongai respectively is collected, packed and ferried to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for export to Europe, Australia, America and Asia.
