Zimbabwe wants to start exporting sweet potatoes

Of the many Zimbabwean exports, sweet potatoes have predominated in recent years, offering growers in the country the opportunity to enter regional and international markets. The global sweet potato market has grown significantly over the past five years, in some markets by as much as 130%. The European Union leads the list of emerging markets. It is clear that the popularity of sweet potatoes is on the rise among consumers and this offers local growers the opportunity to scale up the export of this product. According to Trade Map, the sweet potato market reached a value of € 600 million in 2019 and experienced an annual growth of 15% between 2015 and 2019. In the same period, the import of sweet potatoes grew from 450 tons in 2015 to 844 tons in 2019. Two of the largest importers of sweet potatoes are the Netherlands (159 tons) and the United Kingdom (137 tons). Both countries are already important trading partners for Zimbabwe's horticultural exports. By targeting the ...