The Government has moved to decisively curtail grain and oilseed imports, issuing new regulations that compel millers, stock feed producers, and processors to prioritize local sourcing in line with the country’s drive towards food sovereignty and industrial self-reliance.
Statutory Instrument 87 of 2025, gazetted yesterday, amends the Agricultural Marketing Authority (Grain, Oilseed and Products) By-laws of 2013, outlawing the importation of grain, oilseeds, and related products except under limited circumstances. With effect from April 1, 2026, processors will be legally required to procure at least 40% of their annual raw material needs locally. By April 1, 2028, all such requirements must be sourced from Zimbabwean farmers.
Explaining the measure, Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister Dr. Anxious Masuka said the policy cements efforts that began in 2020, when off-takers were persuaded to finance part of their raw material requirements through local contracting.
“This statutory instrument is relevant in the context of localizing value chains and pursuing food self-sufficiency and sovereignty,” Dr. Masuka said. “We are preparing our industries for full localization of maize, wheat, soya, sunflower, cotton, and related meat value chains. It ensures that Zimbabwe becomes an agro-industrial hub anchored on our own production.”
To safeguard farmers, the instrument introduces two pricing benchmarks: an import parity price—the landed cost of grain in Zimbabwe including freight and insurance—and a production parity price, pegged to local production costs. Where import prices fall below local parity levels, the difference will be paid into the Agricultural Revolving Fund, insulating domestic producers from external shocks.
Dr. Masuka revealed that Zimbabwe is currently in surplus, having harvested 2.9 million metric tonnes of cereals this year against a national requirement of 2.2 million tonnes. Of this, 634,000 tonnes were traditional grains, marking a record output. The Grain Marketing Board has been directed to assist millers and off-takers in accessing supplies from its 1,804 depots nationwide.
Industry voices welcomed the shift. Buy Zimbabwe Executive Chairman Munyaradzi Hwengwere said the regulations would strengthen local industry while rewarding farmers’ productivity.
“As Buy Zimbabwe, we fully support this initiative of banning maize imports. The country has already exceeded requirements, producing 2.9 million tonnes, including a record 634,000 tonnes in traditional grains. This is the moment to trust and invest in our farmers,” he said.
