Following the final of the ‘Open to Export International Business Awards‘, we talk to some of the finalists about the impact that the Export Action Plan tool has had on their business and their exports.
(Photo: © WTO/Jay Louvion)
Company: Dytech Limited
Representative: Alan Chanda
Website: https://www.facebook.com/dytech.zambia
How did you find the experience of pitching to the judges during the final?
I found the pitching experience very rewarding and the follow up questions by the judges extremely helpful, enabling one’s business idea to be examined by experts which in turn improves the overall projectile.
How did you find the experience of being at the WTO Public Forum?
It’s a great place and platform to interact with people from all walks of life from around the world, who serve as crucial avenues of exchanging ideas. This is vital to shape the businesses in the times ahead. I found it very amazing to learn from so many experts for free. This is a priceless experience that I could not imagine getting it in one place.
How did you find the using the Export Action Plan tool and what impact did it have on your business?
The Export Action Plan is a very useful tool that I found to be practical in guiding one’s business through well targeted steps to build an efficient export strategy. It sets milestones with lists of items to use and affords one the opportunity to plan each step ahead of time. This is very important in helping formalise all possible logistical requirements for success in our interconnected world.
Looking ahead, what’s your next step now as a business?
Dytech plans to model its export strategy picking up from the successful Export Action Plan tool to develop a robust viable business approach. We plan to introduce small SweetHarvest™ Pure Honey™portions for restaurants hotels,lodges and commercial airlines to cater for a rapidly growing niche market alongside Honeyman Sweets™ in 2019. This will shape the growth strategy in terms of building the capacity to increase the revenues streams from various honey products. Then we will reinvest back into building 100,000 innovative low cost ZamHives®, 40% of which will be given to women to increase honey production to 3000 tons per season in rural African communities by 2020. Now greater market has emerged from our highly productive ZamHives® an innovative dynamic scalable low cost beehive that that lifts yields from 15kg per season to 75kg which we seek to exploit. Current market demand far outstrips our capacity to produce beehives which Dytech makes through outsourcing from carpentry workshops offering vocational training to youths. We need investment in machinery to build a high capacity carpentry workshop and employ 100s of youths to meet the market demand across Africa.
What three tips would you give to other MSMEs looking to enter international trade?
- Carry out research to understand export market requirements in the export region(s) of interest.
- Develop a plan to make sure the product (s) meets the export requirements.
- Develop a plan that takes all costs and logistical requirements into account.
About Dytech Limited
Dytech Limited is a highly innovative agribusiness company. Under the brand SweetHarvest™ Pure Honey™, Dytech produces 320 tons of honey from wild flowering miombo forests of Zambia, processing and packaging it, as well as offering beewax,royal jerry and propolis and various other honey-based products. The products are sold in 150 selected shops and 3 major chain stores in Zambia as well as to international buyers. The company uses innovative extracting methodology and equipment, securing its continuous supply through two big farms populated with 2,000 beehives and 2500 rural honey outgrowers with 5000 SweetHarvest™ Pure Honey™ Dytech pays rural honey outgrowers above 150% compared to the value of most crops they grow per kilogram. We call this beehive ZamHive® with an average production uplift of 250% from 15kg to 75kg.
THE PRODUCT
Dytech Limited produces honey that is 100% natural and sells various innovative value added products such as honey sweets in various flavours such as mango, pineapple, apple, lemon, strawberry, banana,
THE MARKET
Local demand in Zambia is estimated about 180 tons with estimated growth of 60%; export demand from the EU at 400,000 tons; from China 365,000 tons; 280,000 tons from the USA and from South Africa at 500 tons at an equal growth. Dytech currently has tremendous market interest from Norevo from Germany for 200 tons of honey every 4 months, a growing supply to South Africa with current exports at 60 tons of honey per year. Demand for bee wax and propolis from Europe is high as well and demand for ZamHive® is now estimated around 100,000 from as far afield as Mozambique and Nigeria.
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