BULAWAYO – The 63rd edition of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) got underway at its traditional Bulawayo venue on Tuesday, with international and local exhibitors riding on the showcase to reach new markets.
ZITF officials said 600 exhibitors have set up stall, including foreign embassies.
The theme for the fair is “Transformative Innovation, Global Competitiveness.”
In the education sector, various universities had stands showcasing their innovations.
National University of Science and Technology communications and marketing director Thabani Mpofu said: “As NUST, we’re exhibiting here to market our products. We’re also here to market some innovations that have been produced by our students and academics.
“One of the innovations we’re marketing is already being piloted, which is the crop doctor solutions. This is a mobile application that helps to diagnose diseases from crops by merely scanning the leaves of any particular crop. It will then tell you the disease affecting your crops.
“The project is already receiving a very positive response from small-scale farmers. We want to upscale the project to commercial farmers because we believe that farming is also going digital.”
Professor Edmore Gasura of the University of Zimbabwe’s Department of Plant Production Sciences and Technologies said they have partnered with various start-ups to assist with the production of their innovative sorghum pasta.
“We’re using what is called a value-chain approach, we’re starting from the seeds, we have maize seeds that are good at eradicating fall army-worms, the current problem faced by farmers,” he said.
“We also have sorghum pasta, which is made from sorghum and is very good in terms of nutrition as they are free from gluten, unlike pasta made from wheat.”
Various exhibitors from different sectors of the economy such as mining, farming, finance and the hospitality industry were also making their pitches.
The fair begins with three business – Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday – before it opens up to the public on the final two days, Friday and Saturday.
Meanwhile, ZITF chairman Busisa Moyo said gate fees for the public days had been reduced after a public outcry.
The fees had previously been pegged at US$10 for adults and US$5 for children.
He tweeted on Tuesday: “Entry fees have been reduced for Friday and Saturday. US$5 (adults) and US$3 (children).”
The ZITF remains the biggest business exhibition in Zimbabwe. It will be officially opened by King Mswati III of Eswatini on Friday.
