The UAE imports most of its fresh produce, an ideal market for an agricultural economy such as Zimbabwe. This extends to the entire Arabian Gulf region, which will grow imports of fruits and vegetables to $53 billion by 2020, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit.
The Agricultural Marketing Authority of Zimbabwe (AMA) has been holding countrywide workshops with farmers to highlight this to its members. Some Zimbabwean products are finding their way to the UAE, but through third party exporters.
"Some of our products have been entering the UAE market indirectly through South Africa, so we need to leverage a system where we go directly," says AMA director Maxwell Chikanda.
Should Zimbabwe provide consistent quality, the UAE could in time become a steady importer of its goods.
Finding new markets is crucial to a country of about 8 million people and an unemployment rate of 80 per cent. Currently around 70 per cent of Zimbabweans make their living from the agricultural sector, according to a study by the economics department of North West University South Africa (NWUSA). Many of these are barely subsisting off patches of land from which they grow food with a little extra to sell.
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Read more:
Zimbabwe applies to rejoin Commonwealth
Africa wants the same opportunity as the West had to develop
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Agriculture contributes around 15 per cent of gross domestic product. In addition, it contributes more than 40 per cent of national export earnings, a figure likely to climb as the country re-establishes itself in the global market.
The country possesses large mineral deposits ranging from diamonds, gold, platinum and coal. Mining however requires large capital investment and can take years to develop. The current mining firms in the country are also constrained by lack of adequate power and poor railway infrastructure that will limit increased production for some time to come.
However, farming offers the quickest route to economic growth if it can jumpstart the sector again. Up until the land seizures began in 2001, Zimbabwe produced around 5 per cent of Africa's maize. Today, it contributes less than 2 per cent of Africa's total, according to the NWUSA study.
In another study, The Zimbabwe Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper notes that more than 90 per cent of rural people live in extreme poverty.
With investment, the agricultural sector could flourish. The country's ripe soil raises flourishing cash crops like tobacco, paprika, fruits, flowers and beef exports. Realising its potential, though, depends heavily on how new president Emmerson Mnangagwa handles the thorny issue of land tenure.
The 4,000 or so white farmers pushed off their land over the past two decades are unlikely to be reinstated; doing so would entail a huge relocation of millions of people who settled on the abandoned farms. However, Mr Mnangagwa has told those who remain that they are now safe from expropriation, while inviting others to return.
Farmers who have clung on have generally did so by striking informal deals with local people, sharing parts of their land as well as expertise and equipment, in exchange for a tenuous security to be allowed to keep producing.
In the meantime, Mr Mnangagwa seems eager to put as much distance between his administration and the chaos of his predecessor Robert Mugabe.
"Zimbabwe has lagged behind in many areas as a result of isolation for the past 16, 18 years," Mr Mnangagwa told business leaders in Davos, Switzerland earlier this year. "Now we are saying to the world: Zimbabwe is now open for business."
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The biog
First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974
Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008
Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen
Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region
Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Company%20Profile
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Dark Souls: Remastered
Developer: From Software (remaster by QLOC)
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Price: Dh199
Take Me Apart
Kelela
(Warp)
Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Match info
Uefa Champions League Group H
Juventus v Valencia, Tuesday, midnight (UAE)
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Company%20Profile
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh359,000
On sale: now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
DUBAI WORLD CUP CARNIVAL CARD
6.30pm Handicap US$135,000 (Turf) 2,410m
7.05pm UAE 1000 Guineas Listed $250,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.40pm Dubai Dash Listed $175,000 (T) 1,000m
8.15pm Al Bastakiya Trial Conditions $100,000 (D) 1.900m
8.50pm Al Fahidi Fort Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,400m
9.25pm Handicap $135,000 (D) 2,000m
The National selections
6.30pm: Gifts Of Gold
7.05pm Final Song
7.40pm Equilateral
8.15pm Dark Of Night
8.50pm Mythical Magic
9.25pm Franz Kafka
Match info
Deccan Gladiators 87-8
Asif Khan 25, Dwayne Bravo 2-16
Maratha Arabians 89-2
Chadwick Walton 51 not out
Arabians won the final by eight wickets
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
Company%20profile
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The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 540hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 2,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Kerb weight: 1580kg
Price: From Dh750k
On sale: via special order
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre V6
Power: 295hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 355Nm at 5,200rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km
Price: Dh179,999-plus
On sale: now
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
