Abstract

Zimbabwe’s cut flower industry has declined over the past years. We determined the national competitiveness of Zimbabwe’s cut flower industry using Porter’s diamond model of competitive advantage in 2018 using a descriptive and exploratory design that made use of qualitative and quantitative research methods. Low numbers of key players in the industry forced researchers to administer questionnaires to only 20 respondents comprising growers, marketers, florists, and associations. There was a relationship between factor conditions and national competitiveness (Chi-square 47.9728; df = 25; and p <0.0029). There was no significant relationship between strategy and national competitiveness (Chi-square 21.3916; DF 15; p-value > 0.1248). There was a relationship between government and national competitiveness (Chi-square 20.6350; DF 10; p-value 0.0238). There was no relationship between chance and national competitiveness (Chi-square 6.8190; df 5; p-value =0.2344). Strategy, structure, rivalry, demand conditions, related and supporting industries, and chance had no statistically significant relationship with the national competitiveness of the industry. Centralised decision making and lack of government intervention make the industry fail to be competitive. To revive the industry, the availability and utilization of factor conditions, particularly skilled marketing personnel, should be increased. Government policies should support the industry so that it is competitive.

Key words: Cut flower, government policies, land reform, competitiveness, Porter’s model.