‘Trade between Zimbabwe and UK down to £126 million last year’ – Penny Mordaunt

LONDON – Trade between Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom has been on the decline over the past three years dropping from a peak of £461 million in 2018 to £126 million last year, the lowest in a decade.

British Minister of State for International Trade Penny Mordaunt told Parliament that Zimbabwean companies enjoyed duty-free and quota-free exports for products including blueberries, peas, and tea.

The United Kingdom was at one time Zimbabwe’s second-largest trading partner after South Africa but it is now 138^th.

Trade between the two countries rose from £239 million in 2016 to £407 in 2017 and on to £461 before dropping to £205 in 2019 and £199 in 2020.

According to the UK Department of International Trade, the five top exports to Zimbabwe were:

1. Road vehicles
2. Cars
3. Specialised machines
4. Office machines
5. Live animals

The top five imports from Zimbabwe were:

1. Vegetables and fruits
2. Coffee, tea, and cocoa
3. Jewelry
4. Works of art
5. Metal ores and scrap

See also British companies that were in Zimbabwe at independence