Zimbabwe tightens grain and oilseed imports under new regulation
The move aims to stimulate Zimbabwe’s agricultural value chain by guaranteeing local farmers an assured market for their grains and oilseeds.
ZIMBABWE – The Government of Zimbabwe has enacted Statutory Instrument 87 of 2025, a comprehensive regulation that restricts the importation of grains, oilseeds, and related products in an effort to strengthen domestic agriculture and industrial self-reliance.
Gazetted in early September, the law mandates that processors, including millers, stockfeed producers, and food manufacturers, must source at least 40% of their raw materials locally by April 1, 2026, with complete localization required by April 1, 2028.
The move aims to stimulate Zimbabwe’s agricultural value chain by guaranteeing local farmers an assured market for their grains and oilseeds, boosting self-sufficiency and resilience against global market shocks.
The regulation amends the Agricultural Marketing Authority (Grain, Oilseed and Products) By-laws of 2013 and is part of Zimbabwe’s broader push for food sovereignty.
Imports will only be permitted under limited circumstances, such as emergency contracts or supply shortfalls.
Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development, Dr. Anxious Masuka, underscored the regulations as a cornerstone for economic empowerment and agricultural resilience.
To protect local farmers from pricing volatility, the regulation introduces a dual pricing mechanism: an import parity price, which reflects the landed cost of imported goods, including freight and insurance, and a production parity price, based on domestic production costs.
If the import price undercuts the local parity price, the difference will be transferred into the Agricultural Revolving Fund, a financial buffer designed to shield Zimbabwean producers from external market shocks.
The timing of the regulation coincides with a bumper harvest. Zimbabwe has produced 2.9 million tonnes of cereals, surpassing its national requirement of 2.2 million tonnes.
This includes a record 634,000 tonnes of traditional grains, signaling strong local capacity to meet demand.
Industry leaders have welcomed the move, with Buy Zimbabwe chairperson Munyaradzi Hwengwere hailing the regulation as a “vote of confidence” in local farmers and a strategic step toward industrial resilience.
The Grain Marketing Board has been tasked with facilitating access to supplies through its 1,804 depots nationwide.
As Zimbabwe pivots toward complete agricultural localization, Statutory Instrument 87 of 2025 marks a decisive shift in policy, one that could redefine the country’s food systems and industrial landscape for years to come.
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