By CHATULA KANGALI –

THE Government is considering exporting horticultural products within the region in a bid to increase market for growers.
The country currently exports horticultural products, which include flowers and vegetables, to European countries only.
Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister Margaret Mwanakatwe said in an interview that the Government was considering exporting flowers and vegetables within Africa.
She said the export of flowers within the region would allow growers in the country to have a wider export market.
“The country is only exporting horticultural products to Europe. We want to grow the export market by exporting the products within the region, there are great opportunities for exports within Africa,” she said.
Ms Mwanakatwe said the country had signed a bilateral trade agreement with Angola which would consider the export of horticultural products.
The minister is in two weeks expected to be in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to finalise a list of products to be exported and imported between the two countries.
Ms Mwanakatwe said her ministry had identified horticultural products that would be exported to Angola and the DRC once the agreements were signed.
She said the horticultural industry was one of the sectors that were important to earn the country the needed foreign exchange and that it had in the recent past received support from stakeholders.
Ms Mwanakatwe said the Government was committed to developing a sustainable export market for the horticulture sector to effectively contribute to economic development.