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Kudzanai Sharara in ZAMBIA
The Tanganda brand has been accepted in the Zambian market with consumers viewing it as one of their own, according to the company’s marketing officer Tsitsi Kumadiro.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Zambia Agriculture and Commercial Show (ZACS) which ends today, Mrs Kumadiro said the show gives the company an opportunity to interact with the market that it serves.

“The nature of our brand is the mass market, so ZACS gives consumers an opportunity to interact with the real makers of the brand,” she said.

She said the Zambian market offers a lot of opportunities for the brand to grow and there is a lot that the company has to do to take advantage of those opportunities.

“I think our brand has been widely accepted in this market, but there is still a lot that we have to do from our side in order to take advantage of the available opportunities.

“Opportunities are there, they love Tanganda, so its probably a case of us not supplying enough,” she said.

Mrs Kumadiro said one of the challenges Tanganda was facing was to meet demand a development that had to with capacity.

She, however, said the company has since installed a second line, hence the issue of capacity would soon be water under the bridge.

Tanganda is part of the 24 companies that are exhibiting at the Zambia Agriculture and Commercial Show under the Zimtrade banner.

The export trade and promotion body has already done surveys of the Zambian market and believes it offers opportunity for Zimbabwean companies in various sectors with those in the food sector likely to be the biggest beneficiaries.

Zimtrade export promotion manager Mrs Vuyiswa Mafu, said Zimbabwean companies must take advantage of the trade agreements where they can export duty free under the Comesa rules.

Available statistics from Trade Map show that Zimbabwe exported a total of US$66 million in 2018 against a total import bill of US$177 million from Zambia, creating a trade deficit of  US$111 million.

Attending ZACS will thus provide local companies with an opportunity to establish business contacts, create leads and engage in business-to-business meetings that will increase their export base.

Zimtrade cheif executive officer Allan Majuru, recently said ZACS has been one of the “most effective platforms” for Zimbabwean companies to penetrate the Zambian market over the years and continues to open more avenues for local exporters.

“We have seen several companies starting their exporting journeys through this show and grow from it year on year to serve a broader section of the Zambian market,” he said.