Zimbabwe's citrus exports increase, planting scale expands

Published Nov 18, 2025

Tridge summary

Core tip: Driven by new investments and capacity expansion, Zimbabwe's citrus industry continues to maintain a robust growth trend. Data from the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStats) shows that in the first nine months of this year, citrus exports amounted to $14.5 million, a 12% increase from $13 million in the same period last year. Export volume increased by 10%, rising from 62,000 tons to 68,000 tons.

Original content

On July 1, 2022, the Chinese General Administration of Customs allowed the import of citrus fruits from Zimbabwe, with both parties reaching an annual export quota of 50,000 tons. However, due to insufficient cold treatment conditions, Zimbabwean citrus fruits had not been able to be exported smoothly. On May 30, 2023, the General Administration of Customs added that "Zimbabwe is allowed to transport fresh citrus fruits to China via a third country for cold treatment during transportation," easing the requirements for cold treatment of the products. In October of that year, Zimbabwean citrus fruits officially started their export to China. In recent years, investment in the Zimbabwean citrus industry has also been increasing: Toppick Investments has invested in 800 hectares of citrus orchards, Orange Ville has spent $30 million to plan for a 3,000-hectare planting scale by 2030, and Schweppes Zimbabwe is developing a 2,700-hectare orchard in Beitbridge. The goal set ...

Source: Foodmate