Agriculture and Agro-processing
Agriculture is the base of today’s trade with Vietnam: tobacco makes up almost all of what Zimbabwe sells there. Blueberries are a fast-growing new export. MZM works in both directions, bringing Asian investment into farms, processing and cold chain, and Zimbabwean produce to Asian buyers.
The opportunity in Zimbabwe.
- Tobacco makes up almost all of Zimbabwe’s current exports to Vietnam.
- Vietnam imported 1.71 million tonnes of cotton in 2025, mainly from the United States, Brazil and Australia, with no significant African supplier.
- Zimbabwe’s blueberry exports reached 9,500 tonnes in 2025 and are expected to reach 12,000 tonnes in 2026. The first shipment to China left in July 2026.
- Zimbabwe’s horticulture growth plan focuses on blueberries, avocados, macadamia, citrus and coffee for export.
- —Investment in blueberry farm expansion, packhouses and cold chain
- —Investment in fruit, oilseed, dairy and cotton processing
- —Cold chain, packhouse and storage investment
- —Introductions to Vietnamese processing machinery suppliers
- —Asian buyer introductions for tobacco, cotton, nuts and processed foods
- —Guidance on Vietnamese import rules, product by product
Where we work, and where it stands today.
Each area shows its current position under Zimbabwean and Vietnamese rules, so you know what is open now.
Tobacco
Flue-cured leaf sold through licensed Zimbabwean merchants to Vietnam’s licensed manufacturers, who import within an annual quota.
Cotton
Lint for Vietnamese spinning mills, from ginners registered with the Agricultural Marketing Authority.
Nuts and fruit
Macadamia and processed nuts now. Fresh citrus and avocados once Vietnam completes its plant health review for each fruit.
Agro-processing investment
Packhouses, cold chain, and oilseed, dairy and fruit processing.
Africa’s third-largest blueberry producer, now shipping to China.
Zimbabwe ranks third in Africa for blueberries, after Morocco and South Africa, and already exports to the Netherlands, the UK, Germany, Spain, the UAE, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia. China opened in July 2026. Growers need capital to expand: each hectare costs about US$50,000 to 55,000 to establish, and access to finance is the sector’s main constraint.
- —Investment in farm expansion, packhouses and cold chain, alongside established growers
- —Buyer introductions in Asian markets already open, including China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia
- —Preparation for Vietnam’s plant health review, the step that opens the Vietnamese market to Zimbabwean blueberries
Sources: International Blueberry Organization; Horticultural Development Council of Zimbabwe, 2026.
Where both countries’ priorities meet.
Zimbabwe’s priorities
- —National Development Strategy 2 (2026 to 2030)
- —Horticulture growth plan to 2030
- —ZNIDP II: oilseeds, dairy, textiles and leather value chains
Vietnam’s priorities
- —GoGlobal Programme: agriculture and food processing named as priority sectors
- —Processing industries that rely on imported cotton, tobacco and nuts
The bodies this sector works through.
MZM prepares clients for each of these institutions. MZM is a private firm and does not represent any of them.
Clear limits, stated up front.
Tobacco grading and packaging are reserved for Zimbabwean citizens, and grain milling is open to foreign investors only above set investment and employment thresholds. MZM works with licensed Zimbabwean merchants and processors in these areas, and focuses on processing, storage and supply contracts, not land.
Every opportunity is verified before it reaches an investor, and every fee is agreed in writing and disclosed to all parties. Read our approach.
Discuss an opportunity in Agriculture and Agro-processing.
Write to projects@mzmafrica.com. We reply within 48 hours.