Story by Owen Mandovha, Business Reporter
THE Zimbabwe-DRC Business Forum hosted by ZimTrade was one of the major highlights on Day Two of the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show, with local companies getting an opportunity to explore market opportunities in three key provinces of the DRC.
Representatives from three key provinces of Katanga, Lualuba and Lomina presented the vast business and investment opportunities resident in their provinces which the local investors can tap into.
Two local companies have already made inroads into the DRC market and look forward to cementing their position in that market.
“Lobels entered the DRC market about three years back and the market is conducive for us to further grow into it,” said a Lobels representative.
“Kefalos is spreading its wings into the region including Botswana and Zambia where we are exporting to those countries but the DRC market is our next stop,” said a Kefalos representative.
Chief Executive Officer of Zimtrade Mr Allan Majuru says they can’t afford to ignore the DRC market which imports food stuffs worth billions of US dollars annually.
“Zimtrade has been investing massively to promote exports into the DRC market because it is indeed a lucrative export market which we found out that our local companies can make money in that country. It is a ripe market for fresh produce such as tomatoes and cabbages whereas the country imports foodstuffs worth billions of dollars annually,” he said.
Several business conferences are lined up at the 113th edition of the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show where stakeholders are expected to further strengthen and harness business and market linkages.
