Abstract

According to the International Finance Corporation-World Bank Group (2010), “agriculture is still the single most important economic sector and source of employment in emerging markets. Seventy percent of the world's poor live in rural areas. IFC has made agribusiness a priority because of its potential for broad development impact and especially strong role in poverty reduction”. However, according to Manyukwe (2008), “Zimbabwe is losing US$650 million in potential farm export earnings due to a deepening shortage of power and key inputs, a Parliamentary committee reports”. Moreover, given the scarcity of research into export planning among agribusiness firms in Zimbabwe, this paper presents the results of a study that was designed to identify whether planning and research were carried out by Zimbabwean agribusiness firms prior to exporting, the market entry strategies used by Zimbabwean agribusiness firms in exporting, and to identify managerial perceptions of exporting barriers.

Key words: Agribusiness, agriculture, exporting, international marketing, market entry, motivation, planning, research, strategy, Zimbabwe.