The Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) which ran last week (from Monday 21 to Saturday 26 April) is held annually in Bulawayo in Matabeleland, Zimbabwe’s second-largest city. Bulawayo’s strategic location at the crossroads of Southern Africa’s regional trade and transportation routes makes it an ideal host city for the fair.

The ZITF is designed to promote trade, investment, and business networking at both local and international levels. Agriculture is not forgotten and many Zimbabwean agricultural inputs companies exhibit at the event. In recent years the ZITF event has gained traction with increased private sector involvement and international participation.

Cattle judging

Outside the conference halls, the ZITF also features livestock exhibitions, showcasing breeds. Animals that have been entered into the livestock exhibition undergo judging and this year, judging was undertaken by John Crawford, former Zimbabwe Herd Book chairman, third-generation Zimbabwean cattle breeder and dairy farmer.

There has been no cattle showing in the recent years, but cattle showing is back with a bang. This year, excitingly for the Nkone cattle breed, the three-year-and-three-month year old Umvutcha Nkone Stud bull “Prince Charming” (22-2201UMV) was crowned Supreme Champion Interbreed, winning the Thousand Guineas Trophy and fighting off stiff competition from other cattle breeds.

Previous winners of the Thousand Guineas trophy read like a “who’s who” of cattle production in Zimbabwe and the Nkone and the Maidwell’s name will now be recorded in history alongside the greats.

Umvutcha Nkone Stud also won the award for the Reserve Champion Interbreed Cow.

Numbers of registered Nkone cattle are very low, currently around the 540-mark and there are currently only a handful of registered breeders (two in Mashonaland, one in Midlands and one in Matebeleland). But, thanks to the dedication of producers such as the Maidwells of Umvutcha in Umguza, breed recognition and numbers are slowly rising.

The importance of indigenous and hardy yet fertile and productive cattle such as the Sanga (with its smaller-framed Mashona, Nkone and medium-framed Tuli breeds) in our country with its increasingly drought-prone years and erratic rains, cannot be overstated. The next event to whet the public appetite for these indigenous cattle breeds will be the ADMA Agrishow (5-7 June, ART Farm, Pomona) where there will be an indigenous breeds exhibition and sale.

Livestock conference

The ZITF also hosts an annual Livestock Conference, organised with the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development. The 2025 conference theme was “Transforming Livestock Futures: Strategies for Resilience and Prosperity,” focusing on productivity, climate resilience, and sustainable growth.

The event is aimed at farmers, business owners, government officials, veterinarians, academics, financiers, and industry experts from across the region. The livestock sector is a central pillar of Zimbabwe’s agricultural economy, supporting about 70% of the rural population and Matabeleland is widely acknowledged as cattle country.

Conference topics included disease management and surveillance, especially for challenges like tick-borne diseases and drought impacts; sustainable livestock practices, climate resilience, and technological advancements; strategic marketing, policy frameworks, and market development for livestock products and financing, partnerships, and value chain development.

About the ZITF

The ZITF Exhibition Centre spans 17 hectares near Bulawayo’s central business district, featuring six exhibition halls and numerous pavilions.

The fair continues to draw hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of visitors, with recent editions seeing participation from over 20 foreign countries and more than 600 exhibitors.

The ZITF has played a significant role in Zimbabwe’s economic development, providing a platform for local and international businesses to connect, showcase products, and explore new markets. It remains a symbol of Bulawayo’s historical and ongoing importance in regional trade and industry.