STAKEHOLDERS in the livestock industry have called on Government ministries to expedite the planned business reforms covering levies, licences, fees and permits.
This follows extensive ease-of-doing-business reforms that were first announced by the Government more than eight months ago.
In September last year, the Government reviewed business regulations for livestock, dairy and stockfeed sub-sectors to enhance the investment climate, encourage domestic production and attract foreign direct investment as promised in the 2025 mid-term budget announcements.
A total of 96 regulatory fees in the livestock, dairy and stockfeed sectors will be eliminated or significantly reduced to enhance ease of doing business.
While the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works has since taken the lead and issued Statutory Instrument (SI) 41 of 2026, which has abolished or reduced some fees that apply to the livestock sector, the same cannot be said of other concerned ministries.
Among the abolished fees are butchery and fishmongering within a retail shop, carcass inspection, livestock movement clearance, cattle levy, dairy permit and generator levy.
In his remarks at the first Cabinet sitting of the year, President Mnangagwa directed the Government to finalise the review of licences, permits, levies and fees during the first quarter of this year to improve the ease of doing business, enhance the business environment, attract investment and improve service delivery.
Livestock and Meat Advisory Council (LMAC) executive administrator, Dr Reneth Mano, said livestock industry players were concerned that the reforms had not been gazetted more than eight months after their announcement.
Dr Mano said it was important for authorities to ensure the speedy implementation of the ease of doing business reforms.
“By delaying implementation of the approved cuts in regulatory cost of compliance, the line ministries are only expressing support to the initiative in words but not in their deeds. “What is frustrating stakeholders is that some line ministers are introducing new Statutory Instruments (SIs) with new levies that are nullifying the Cabinet-approved cuts in regulatory fees and levies,” he said.
Zimbabwe Association of Dairy Farmers (ZADF) national chairman, Mr Edward Warambwa, concurred that the bulk of the reforms were still to be enforced.
“A little progress has been made as some reviewed regulations have now been officiated through SI 41 of 2026 (Model fees by-laws, 2026).
“That said, most reforms that directly affect dairy farming have not yet been fully officially enacted and stakeholders are still awaiting implementation of the remaining measures,” he said.
Minister of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development, permanent secretary, Professor Obert Jiri, said the Attorney General’s office was working on the issue.
“The Attorney General is seized with the legal enactments,” he said.-herald
