Zambia’s blueberry industry is taking root as global demand for this nutritious berry climbs. Zamberries – a local blueberry venture – is “nurturing the future of agriculture in Zambia” with sustainably grown blueberries and bringing “Zambian excellence to markets around the world” zamberries.com. This comes at a time when the global blueberry market is booming: valued at about $2.65 billion in 2023 and forecast to reach $4.15 billion by 2029 marketdataforecast.com. By linking smallholder growers to international buyers, Zamberries helps local farmers ride this wave of demand. Through hands-on support and rigorous standards, the company ensures Zambia’s berries meet export-quality specifications – benefiting farmers, boosting the rural economy, and answering growing consumer appetite worldwide zamberries.com lusakatimes.com.
Empowering Local Growers
Zamberries’ model is built on partnership. The company “works hand-in-hand with our partners to enhance the land we cultivate – boosting yields, sustainability, and shared success” zamberries.com. In practice, this means agronomists and extension teams help farmers adopt best practices (from irrigation and pruning to integrated pest management). Many Zambian growers are new to high-value fruit crops, and experts note that Zambia’s horticultural sector has faced challenges meeting strict export standards trade4devnews.enhancedif.org. Zamberries fills that gap by bringing technical know-how directly to the fields. Farmers receive training in modern farm management and post-harvest handling so they can produce premium berries consistently. By sharing expertise and resources, Zamberries empowers even small farms to increase productivity and crop quality, ensuring the harvest is attractive to overseas buyers.
Ensuring World-Class Quality
Quality control is central to connecting local fruit to global shelves. Zambia’s government and development partners have already strengthened the country’s phytosanitary and export systems – for example, an international project recently upgraded Zambia’s plant‐health capacity so that blueberries can be shipped to destinations like China and South Africa trade4devnews.enhancedif.org. Building on this progress, Zamberries requires strict sorting, grading and cold-chain handling on every farm. Berries are picked and packed as “Class I” fruit in export-ready punnets labeled “Product of Zambia,” reflecting premium standards.
For instance, Zambia’s blueberries are now packed in branded punnets (as shown above) for overseas markets, illustrating the company’s focus on export-grade quality. These measures ensure the fruit meets demanding international rules (temperature control, residue limits, packaging standards, etc.), so buyers abroad receive top-grade produce trade4devnews.enhancedif.org lusakatimes.com.
Connecting to International Markets
Zamberries serves as a bridge between Zambian growers and importers. Thanks to recent trade agreements, local blueberries can now reach the world’s biggest markets. For example, a 2023 MOU with China allows Zambia to export fresh blueberries to Asia’s largest market, which imported 43,000 metric tonnes of blueberries in 2022 alone lusakatimes.com. Zamberries helps farmers take advantage of that opportunity by handling export logistics and market linkages. European markets are also ripe for high-quality berries. In Southern Africa, Europe has become a leading destination – Zimbabwe’s berry exports (almost all blueberries) are sold in Germany, the Netherlands, the UK and other markets thefarmersjournal.com. Zamberries taps into those same routes, connecting growers to buyers in Europe and beyond. By ensuring each shipment meets the exacting specifications of overseas customers, Zamberries gives farmers direct access to global supply chains that were previously out of reach.
Economic Growth and Community Impact
The result of these partnerships is tangible benefit for farmers and the broader economy. By moving Zambian blueberries onto international markets, Zamberries creates new revenue streams and jobs in rural areas. Analysts expect this new export sector to boost Zambia’s GDP, generate foreign exchange and raise farmer incomes lusakatimes.com. As one government report notes, expanding blueberry exports will “substantially” increase overall economic growth and enable farmers to reinvest in modern technologies trendsnafrica.com lusakatimes.com. In fact, early blueberry projects in Zambia have already created thousands of farm jobs; one grower was reported to employ about 2,000 people in a region lusakatimes.com. By diversifying Zambia’s exports beyond traditional crops and minerals, horticulture helps stabilize the economy against price swings. In short, every step Zamberries takes – from soil to shelf – is designed to lift communities: higher-quality crops fetch better prices, and those export earnings flow back into villages through wages and investmentlusakatimes.com lusakatimes.com.
Global Market Access: Zamberries connects farmers with buyers abroad. New export channels (e.g. to China and Europe) mean Zambian growers can sell large volumes of blueberries at competitive prices lusakatimes.com.
Higher Incomes: Access to premium markets translates into more income for farmers. Studies project that agricultural exports, including berries, will “substantially” boost farmers’ earnings and living standardslusakatimes.com trendsnafrica.com.
Technical Support: Farmers gain on-site training and inputs to meet international standards. Zamberries provides know-how in sustainable farming and quality control, helping producers satisfy strict export requirements trade4devnews.enhancedif.org trendsnafrica.com.
Economic Growth: Expanding blueberry farming creates jobs and foreign-exchange revenue. Exporting fruit helps diversify Zambia’s economy and reduce reliance on mining lusakatimes.com lusakatimes.com.
Thanks to this collaborative approach, Zamberries is helping Zambia’s blueberry sector grow in quality and scale. By empowering farmers and enforcing global-grade standards, the company ensures that Zambian blueberries meet rising worldwide demand. As one official put it, “We are ready to take our agricultural products to global markets and showcase the high quality … of Zambian blueberries” trendsnafrica.com. With continued investment in people and processes, Zambia’s growers are set to thrive on the world stage – growing together with Zamberries.