Deputy Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Hon. Vangelis Haritatos, has stressed the importance of value addition in Zimbabwe’s agriculture sector, particularly within the tobacco industry, as the country seeks to unlock maximum benefit from its natural resources.
Speaking during a welcome reception for a visiting Danish business delegation in Harare yesterday, Hon. Haritatos said Zimbabwe must shift from raw commodity production to processing and beneficiation.
“Tobacco remains one of Zimbabwe’s top foreign currency earners, but we cannot continue exporting it in raw form. We need investment that allows us to process, brand and sell finished products that bring maximum returns to the economy. That is the kind of partnership we are inviting our Danish friends to consider,” he said.
Zimbabwe is currently the world’s sixth-largest producer of tobacco, with most of the crop exported unprocessed limiting the industry’s contribution to job creation, industrial growth, and domestic value retention.
Hon. Haritatos said value addition in tobacco and other key commodities would significantly boost exports, create jobs, and empower local communities.
“These are critical areas that align with our Vision 2030 objectives of becoming an upper-middle-income economy. We welcome the Danish interest and believe this engagement will open up avenues for sustainable collaboration,” he said.
He identified additional sectors with investment potential, including cotton, maize, irrigation development, mechanisation, and dam construction.
The Deputy Minister described Denmark as a strong and advanced economy, with expertise in sustainable agriculture, innovation, and green technologies — areas Zimbabwe could tap into through mutually beneficial partnerships.
He said Government remains committed to advancing value chain development across agriculture, viewing it as a key driver of rural industrialisation, youth employment and economic growth.
The Danish delegation, comprising agribusiness representatives and investment officials, is in Zimbabwe to explore cooperation opportunities in agriculture, infrastructure, and renewable energy.
The engagement forms part of Zimbabwe’s broader re-engagement thrust aimed at attracting foreign direct investment and enhancing productivity in key economic sectors.
