THE Government has revised down import levies on key agricultural commodities and introduced new duties, effective September 8, 2026, to promote local production and strengthen domestic value chains.
Under the revised tax framework by the Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA), the import levy for maize has been reduced to US$15 per tonne from US$40 for companies complying with the policy requirement to source at least 40 percent of their raw materials locally.
Non-compliant companies face a higher penalty rate of US$25 per tonne through March 31, 2027, at which point the overall implementation and levy structure will be subject to a review.
A new standard levy of US$10 per tonne has been introduced for maize bran imports, while the duty on soyabeans has been halved from US$20 down to US$10 per tonne, according to AMA.
New levies of US$20 per tonne take effect across several oilseed derivatives and animal feed inputs, specifically targeting crude oil, sunflower cake and cotton cake, while the import levy for soya meal has been reduced to US$20 per tonne from US$35.
AMA chief executive Ms Alice Mapfiza said the new levy on crude oil, a critical component in cooking oil manufacturing, is designed to drive private investment into domestic crop production and irrigation infrastructure.
“This is being done within the framework of supporting local production and strengthening the value chains, and this should incentivise the industry to support local production so that we cut the import bill and support the creation of local jobs,” Ms Mapfiza said in an interview.
The Government has also adjusted grain tariffs to protect the domestic harvest, after putting a US$89,25 per tonne levy on soft wheat imports to ensure milling companies exhaust local stocks following the recent harvesting season. For hard wheat, imports attract a zero percent duty within a 30 percent import threshold, but any imported volumes exceeding that limit trigger a tax of US$89,25 per tonne.
Ms Mapfiza added that the authority would work with stakeholders to monitor consumer feedback regarding the quality of bread and related products, addressing concerns that millers’ requests for hard wheat imports may serve as a pretext to avoid using domestic supplies when actual blending ratios in manufacturing are significantly lower.
The policy adjustments stem from Statutory Instrument (SI) 87 of 2025 – issued under the Agricultural Marketing Authority (Grains, Oilseeds and Products) Regulations – which restricts the importation of grain, oilseeds and related products without imposing a total import ban.
Under SI 87, imports are permitted only for contractors who establish a genuine supply deficit. The regulations legally obligate local agro-processors to procure at least 40 percent of their raw materials locally starting April 1, 2026, scaling up progressively to 100 percent by April 1, 2028.
Enacted under the Agricultural Marketing Authority Act to curb Zimbabwe’s growing food import bill, SI 87 directs generated levy revenues into a dedicated Ministry of Agriculture fund to finance smallholder irrigation schemes, climate-resilient infrastructure, and farmer productivity programmes.
Ultimately, the framework aligns landed import parity prices with domestic production costs to prevent cheap imports from undercutting local farmers while securing a guaranteed market for home-grown produce until the framework undergoes its scheduled policy review on March 31, 2027.
The interventions come as Zimbabwe steps up efforts to reduce a US$2 billion agricultural import bill through local food and inputs production, as the Government moves to strengthen domestic value chains and accelerate the transformation of the agriculture sector.
The national localisation drive will take centre stage at the National Agriculture Conference and Expo (NACE) 2026, scheduled for September 24 to 25 in Harare.
Convened by the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development in partnership with the AMA and Africa Economic Development Strategies (AEDS), the conference will place primary emphasis on keeping more value within the domestic economy through local production, processing, and manufacturing, rather than focusing solely on increasing raw output.
The momentum aligns with the ongoing implementation of the Agriculture, Food Systems and Rural Transformation Strategy, which seeks to grow the sector into a US$15,8 billion economy by 2030.-herald
