HARARE (Xinhua): Zimbabwe's Horticultural Promotion Council (HPC) said on Friday the global recession has impacted negatively on the country's horticultural sector, particularly flower growers.
He told New Ziana that as a result, some growers, particularly smaller ones in the country had gone under. "Last season was one of the worst in the history of the industry," he said.
"Companies need to go down there, find out what consumers want and grow the crop," he said, noting that when horticulture firms fail to get freight space from Air Zimbabwe, they drive all the way to South Africa with their produce to load it to other airlines going to Europe.
He said fear of taking risks was the major factor preventing local companies from moving away from traditional markets in the North and establish new ones in the South.
He said there were more than 45 million people in South Africa who could buy horticulture produce from Zimbabwe. "They have the money and we have the land," he said.
clipped from: www.hindu.com