The Effect of Increased Electricity Tariffs on Citrus Production in Beitbridge, Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe, just like many other developing nations has its economic growth path mapped mainly by the agricultural sector. The agricultural sector has been labelled the backborne of many economies, and countries are reprioritizing agriculture and food security as paramount to human development. The sector provides food to mankind and raw materials to other sectors of the economy and hence promotes industrialisation. In the last decade, a fall in agricultural production in Zimbabwe has seen the country transitioning from being recognised as the bread basket of the Southern African region, to a bread bowl case. Deterioration of the agricultural sector implies backward development, especially for developing nations like Zimbabwe. Citrus production is one of the agricultural activities practised in Zimbabwe, with Beitbridge region as one of the success stories in history. The study seeks to analyse the effects of increased electricity tariffs on citrus production in Beitbridge, Zimbabwe. Data on citrus production was collected from 7 big citrus farms located in the Beitbridge area using face to face questionnaire method. By employing an investigative and empirical approach, the research results revealed that the increase in electricity tariffs by the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) adversely affected citrus production in the area under study due to increased total production costs