0777 299 904 trade@aycascommodities.com Rosedale, Sam Nujoma St, Harare
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Services · the trade, end-to-end

How we work.

AYCAS is a small, accountable team handling the full trade lifecycle on both imports and exports — sourcing, quality, contract, logistics, finance and documentary compliance — without subcontracting the critical steps. One point of contact. One line of accountability.

01

Origination & Sourcing

Direct relationships with regional producers — grain cooperatives and brown-sugar mills in South Africa, Zambia and Malawi — and with licensed Zimbabwean mines for chrome and tungsten. We do the farm visits, the mill visits and the mine-site inspections ourselves. No layered middlemen.

02

Quality Assurance & Inspection

SGS, Bureau Veritas or Intertek independent inspection at loading on both sides of the trade. Retained samples held for 60 days. Certificate of Analysis signed off before documents are released. Weighbridge verification at loading and again at delivery — tonnage is never taken on trust.

03

Contract Negotiation

GAFTA contracts for grains. FOSFA for oilseeds. ICUMSA-referenced terms for brown sugar. Standard MMCZ-framed terms for minerals. We negotiate on familiar, enforceable paper — never bespoke small print that no one wants to argue in arbitration.

04

Logistics & Freight

SADC road and rail corridors for agricultural imports — via Beitbridge, Chirundu, Plumtree or Kazungula depending on origin. Beira, Durban and Walvis Bay for mineral exports. Fleet vetting, GIT insurance verification, vessel nomination, charter-party oversight, customs clearance and stowage instructions handled in-house.

05

Trade Finance

Letters of credit (confirmed and unconfirmed), documentary collections, open account for established counterparties. 50% pre-payment into escrow on cash import orders — liquidity verified before any supplier is paid. Structured to the counterparty's banking relationships, not ours.

06

Documentary Compliance

MMCZ permits and CD1 forms on mineral exports. Import permits, SARS export documentation, ZIMRA import declarations, phytosanitary certificates, RBZ forex authorisations, certificates of origin. Every document verified before presentation — not rushed at port.

07

Risk Management

Counterparty KYC and sanctions screening before contract. Currency-hedging overlays for long-dated contracts. Marine cargo insurance per shipment, war/strikes cover where routing warrants, inland transit cover on regional road and rail movements, credit insurance for open-account trades.

Four-day turnaround on regional grain imports.

Agricultural imports from South Africa to Zimbabwe typically complete in four working days. Mineral exports to European and Asian destinations run the same discipline on 30–60-day timelines, depending on vessel routing.

Day 1

Sourcing & PO

Supplier verified, stock validated, PO issued, terms confirmed.

Day 1–2

Payment & loading

Supplier paid, logistics appointed, loading slips and weights issued.

Day 2–3

Clearance & transit

SARS export docs, ZIMRA pre-clearance, border crossed, delivery en route.

Day 3–4

Verification

Weighbridge re-check at client, Delivery Note and Stock Acceptance signed.

Day 4

Invoice & close

Final invoice on weighbridge tonnage. Client settles. Trade closes.

Same discipline, whichever service.

Whether you need a full trade managed end-to-end or targeted execution on a specific leg — tell us the brief and we'll come back with a scope and terms within five working days.

Request a trade brief