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Over the last 10 to 15 years, Peru has transitioned from being a minor contributor to global blueberry production to becoming the largest exporter of the fruit.

Zimbabwean blueberry farmers are vying to replicate such success, with production expected to rise by 50% to 12,000 tonnes.

Morocco currently leads African production with 80,000 tonnes. South Africa produces 25,000 tonnes.

I recently travelled to Zimbabwe. A country often defined by its struggles and the weight of things that don’t work, it was refreshing to discover a story of transformation.

Amid the challenges, I found at least one thing that carries the promise of real change and perhaps, a healthier future.

Zimbabwe is Africa’s largest tobacco exporter.

The rising number of smokers in China helped surge Zimbabwe’s tobacco sales to a record $1.3bn.

In comparison to tobacco, Zimbabwe only exported blueberries worth $30 million.

Beyond this modest figure lies a gripping tale of hopes and aspirations.

…

In fields a short drive from Harare, neat rows of potted bushes promise fruit that will arrive at European and Asian supermarkets weeks before Peru’s harvest. For decades, Zimbabwe’s economic story was written in dried tobacco leaves; now a different crop, blueberries, is being framed as the nation’s ticket to reliable foreign currency, rural jobs and a new export identity.

But this shift depends on more than good soil and a trade deal. It will test Zimbabwe’s politics of land, its shaky currency regime, and whether investors can stomach the upfront cost of a very demanding fruit.

Last month, Harare and Beijing sealed a protocol that opens China, one of the world’s fastest-growing blueberry markets, to Zimbabwean producers.

The deal gives Zimbabwean growers the chance to send fruit tariff-free into a market that China has increasingly made politically central to Africa’s trade calculus. That access could be transformational!

Zimbabwe’s blueberry output is poised to rise rapidly in the next season if farms pass China’s compliance checks for pests and diseases.

Zimbabwe’s blueberry production doubled in recent seasons, from a few thousand tonnes to roughly 7-8,000 tonnes, with forecasts of about 12,000 tonnes as plantings mature and an aspirational target of 30,000 tonnes by 2030.

This year, Beijing has announced sweeping zero-tariff treatment for a broad set of African countries, a move intended to lock in long-term supply links as geopolitical tensions ratchet up with the West.

Blueberries are not cheap or easy.

Growing commercial berries in Zimbabwe typically requires imported propagation material and pots, controlled water and fertigation systems, refrigerated cold chains, and reliable logistics, investments that can easily demand six-figure dollars per hectare before the first commercial harvest.

Zimbabwe’s edge is its seasonality. Its highland zones produce early berries, allowing shipments to reach markets before major Southern-Hemisphere competitors and capture premium prices.

Peru’s climb from marginal producer to the world’s top blueberry exporter within a decade is the playbook every blueberry farmer looks up to.

Public and private investment, rapid access to export markets, and a race to scale Peru’s share of global blueberry production from under 2% a decade ago to a double-digit market share by the early 2020s, made its exporters formidable competitors in Europe and the U.S.

The lesson for Zimbabwe is clear. Rapid scale is possible.

The horticulture push is reshaping local livelihoods. The nascent blueberry industry is labour-intensive at harvest and largely employs women.

Industry snapshots point to thousands of seasonal jobs at peak harvest in existing farms, and local growers say many households are already seeing benefits.

At scale, advocates argue, blueberry expansion could be a pillar of rural employment and export diversification, a socially and politically attractive story in a country still grappling with youth unemployment and rural distress.

Blueberries sell at premium prices in many markets, but the crop’s economics are lumpy.

Establishment costs (imports for pots/soils/plantlets, irrigation infrastructure, refrigeration and packing) are front-loaded; returns appear only once plants mature.

Zimbabwean growers and Horticultural Development Council leaders repeatedly point to the absence of “patient capital” — lenders focused on multi-year agricultural cycles, and to a currency policy that punctures expected returns.

Government rules requiring exporters to convert a sizable share of dollar earnings into local currency at an official rate underpin a major complaint. Exporters say that the rule effectively taxes their margins and undermines working capital.

Two decades on from Zimbabwe’s land reform, the legacy still lingers. Lenders often won’t accept leaseholds as collateral, and many growers, especially emerging Black commercial farmers, struggle to obtain bank credit.

Several reports show that much of the early blueberry acreage was developed by farmers with private capital; scaling beyond that requires confidence in land tenure and a banking sector willing to underwrite long amortisation periods between investment and revenue.

Those structural fault lines raise the risk that growth will remain unequal: more plantations built by well-capitalised players rather than by the smallholders who could deliver broader rural transformation.

China’s newly expanded tariff preferences for many African countries and its opening to Zimbabwean blueberries specifically change the calculus for investors and policymakers.

But access is conditional, farms must demonstrate phytosanitary compliance to China’s standards; cold-chain, testing and certification systems must be put in place and funded.

At the same time, U.S. tariffs on some African exports and shifting American trade policy have pushed several African exporters to diversify destinations; China’s opening can be read as both an economic opportunity and a geopolitical pivot.

A handful of high-tech, high-input farms run under European agronomy standards are already shipping to Europe and the Middle East; small-scale aggregators and co-operatives are being encouraged to join supply chains.

Horticultural trade bodies in Zimbabwe and South Africa are stepping up training and certification drives.

But banks and local financing institutions remain cautious: the tenor of credit is short-term, while blueberries need patient multi-year financing.

Where blueberries have taken off, they have created seasonal and sometimes year-round work for women who are paid for delicate hand-picking.

Growers and supervisors in Zimbabwe note improved household incomes during peak season. The social payoff could be large if entrepreneurs develop inclusive supply models that integrate smallholders rather than entrench large-scale single-owner plantations.

The political economy of land reform, credit access and contract farming will shape whether jobs are equitable.

If policy remains blunt, finance scarce, and land tenure ambiguous, the industry could be stuck in a middle ground: impressive demonstration farms and a handful of exporters, but no broad transformation.

Large upfront costs and the need for long supply-chain trust mean the sector can stall if investors withdraw or if logistics break down.

Worse, an overfocus on exportable cash crops without social safeguards risks repeating past mistakes in which a few benefit while many remain excluded.

Peru’s blueberry boom shows the upside. China’s tariff policies have opened a rare door. Zimbabwe has the climate windows and a labour force ready for harvests.

But the pivot from tobacco to blueberries asks more than botanical ambition. It asks for patient money, predictable land policy, export governance that doesn’t siphon away hard currency, and investment in cold chain and phytosanitary systems.

If policymakers and financiers can align, Zimbabwe may indeed complement a century-old bad habit with a healthier export future.

Will Zimbabwe use this tariff window to build durable, inclusive horticulture?

Or will the cash-and-control politics that buoyed tobacco simply reconfigure around blueberries?

Alister Campbell once wore Zimbabwe’s national colours as captain of the cricket team. Today, at 53, he’s captaining a very different field, a 50-hectare blueberry farm just outside Harare.

Campbell’s farm is no ordinary patch of land.

With 240,000 blueberry plants, each grown in imported pots, nurtured with imported soil, and watered eight times a day with specially treated water, it’s a high-tech operation built for global competition.

Every berry is chilled soon after harvest to preserve freshness before making its way to Europe, the Middle East, or Asia.

Now, as China opens its doors to Zimbabwean blueberries at zero tariffs, Campbell sees a historic opportunity. He knows it won’t be easy. Blueberries are demanding to grow, and Zimbabwe’s business environment still poses challenges.

But the rewards are clear: a superfood in rising global demand, hitting markets earlier than rivals like Peru, and creating jobs for hundreds of women during peak harvest.

If Peru could go from less than 2% of global blueberry output to the world’s top exporter in just 15 years, why not Zimbabwe?

Campbell’s story reminds us that leadership isn’t only about holding on to past glories.

Sometimes it’s about starting over, betting on the future, and building something bigger than yourself.

For Zimbabwe, and for African entrepreneurs everywhere, his path shows that reinvention isn’t just possible, it may be the key to transforming entire industries.

Statista for reliable business and industry data.

Naspers’ tiny early Tencent bet became legendary venture capital. Naspers invested $32 million in Tencent in 2001. At one point, that stake was worth $175 billion. The investment has been referred to as one of the most successful venture capital deals of all time, and made Naspers the most valuable publicly traded business in Africa by 2017.

Application Deadline: 21 October 2025

Applications are now open for the 2025 UNICEF Climate Innovation Challenge.

UNICEF is launching a call for solutions from emerging markets in collaboration with the India Health Fund (IHF) and the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL).

To maximise impact, UNICEF will foster collaboration between early-stage frontier tech ventures and help scale proven climate adaptation solutions. This dual-track approach seeks to drive impact and provide long-term sustainability.

The UNICEF Venture Fund is particularly seeking solutions that:

Requirements

Companies need to fulfil the following mandatory selection criteria to be considered:

Visit the Official Webpage of the UNICEF Climate Innovation Challenge

According to the THE GLOBAL SAFETY REPORT, feelings of safety have declined more in sub-Saharan Africa than in any other region over the past two decades, with only 51% saying they feel safe walking alone at night in the area where they live.

Through its subscription service, Amazon provides members with benefits like free shipping, exclusive access to deals, and streaming services.

These perks offered by Amazon create a sense of exclusivity and value, encouraging customers to stay loyal to Amazon for their shopping and entertainment needs.

Customer loyalty strategies aim to build lasting relationships with existing customers by offering rewards, personalised experiences, or exceptional service.

These strategies help retain customers over the long term, ensuring repeat business and increasing lifetime customer value.

What initiatives have you taken to retain existing customers?

There is no rain whose flood can submerge all mountains.

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