HARARE
–
Zimbabwe’s
horticulture
industry
said
it
will
take
advantage
of
regional
airfreight
hubs
to
move
produce
in
light
of
the
recent
suspension
of
the
KLM/MartinAir
service
to
Harare.
KLM
has
provided
a
link
to
Zimbabwe’s
largest
market
destination,
Amsterdam,
which
serves
as
the
gateway
for
Zimbabwean
produce
into
the
broader
EU
market
for
27
years.
After
servicing
the
route
for
close
to
three
decades,
the
Royal
Dutch
Airlines
announced
it
was
ending
its
freight
operations
to
Harare,
beginning
this
April,
due
to
operational
challenges.
Frequent
48-hour
delays,
cancellations,
and
rescheduling
have
impacted
Harare
flights
and
the
decision
to
halt
the
freight
service
“was
influenced
by
the
short
flight
leg,
lack
of
local
maintenance
facilities,
and
unstable
freight”.
In
a
statement
on
Monday,
the
Horticultural
Development
Council
(HDC)
said
while
the
suspension
of
KLM/Martin
Air
services
may
cause
some
short-term
disruptions,
the
sector
would
explore
other
routes
to
mitigate
the
looming
crisis.
“Available
route-to-market
options
include
leveraging
regional
airfreight
hubs
and
connections
through
Ethiopia,
Doha,
and
Dubai,”
said
the
council.
The
sector
however
attributed
the
flights
suspension
to
the
decline
in
the
production
of
key
export
crops
during
the
2022/23
season,
such
as
peas
and
flowers,
which
reduced
Zimbabwe’s
negotiating
power
for
scarce
cargo
space.
“This
led
to
KLM/MartinAir’s
temporary
reduction
of
flights
to
Harare
in
February
2024.
Although
flights
were
later
reinstated,
this
served
as
a
wake-up
call
for
the
industry.
“The
horticulture
industry
is
actively
engaging
with
the
Government
to
advocate
for
policy
adjustments
that
will
attract
investment
and
enhance
Zimbabwe’s
position
in
global
markets,”
said
the
council.