Horticulture Producers warn of produce decline this season

The Horticulture Development’ Council of Zimbabwe (HDC) has warned of a ‘huge decline’ in output this season, due to a number of reasons.

The council attributed this to a combination of things; rising costs, exchange rate crisis at home plus instability in Europe, a key market for Zimbabwean produce.

“If we don’t see more accessible funding for farmers and a more balanced auction rate, we could see a huge decline from summer 2022 to winter 2023,” says HDC.

In its quarterly report, HDC summarised the key factors contributing to horticulture decline with increasing input costs and external factors i.e. freight rates, buying power and EU inflation being key elements.

The council says it is looking on how viable is it to still produce considering the situation.

Zwnews