Story by Owen Mandovha
THE Danish business community is setting its sights on Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector as a key area for trade and investment collaboration between the two nations.
As Europe’s top food producer, outputting more than three times its domestic consumption, Denmark is seeking new markets and partnerships.
In a bid to strengthen economic ties, Zimbabwe and Denmark have convened a business summit in Harare aimed at unlocking opportunities in agriculture and deepening bilateral investment relations.
“The summit brings together the local investment and business community and interfaces with their Danish counterparts in order to explore ways of collaboration. So the event marks an important milestone in terms of seeking new ways of partnerships,” Director of the African Consultancy, Ms Florence Charamba said.
The Danish Food and Agriculture Council is targeting sub-sectors such as cereals production, dairy, cattle ranching and citrus.
“Denmark has a competitive edge in innovation hence our sector is highly modernised in various sub-sectors, hence we can also apply the same technology into the sector,” the Director of the Danish Food and Agriculture Council, Mr Jeppe Perdesen said.
In turn, the government says there is a huge demand for horticultural products in Denmark, hence local farmers can leverage on that opportunity.
“We can drive horticultural products into the Danish market because demand there is huge, our local farmers can take advantage of that opportunity to export into Denmark,” the Deputy Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Honourable Vangelis Haritatos said.
“Our industry offers immense opportunities for the Danish industry, especially in agro-processing; hence, this forum will give sufficient insights to our Danish counterparts in areas where they can invest,” the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Dr Charles Utete Ushe said.
Under the engagement and re-engagement agenda, the government has engaged many countries to create new partnerships and harness trade, hence the collaboration with Denmark is earmarked to achieve that goal.
