Zimbabwe: Indigenous Millers Back Grain Levies, Say Policy Protects Land Reform Gains, Food Security

The Indigenous Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (IGMAZ) has thrown its weight behind government's grain import levy framework.

The grouping argues that the measures are critical to protecting local farmers, safeguarding the gains of the Land Reform Programme and strengthening Zimbabwe's long-term food security.

This comes as the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) threatened to challenge the regulations in court, claiming the levies are unconstitutional and will inevitably push up the prices of bread, mealie meal and other basic commodities.

In a statement released Thursday, IGMAZ warned that continued dependence on imported grain posed a serious threat to Zimbabwe's economic sovereignty and agricultural transformation efforts.

"We wish to state categorically that if Zimbabwe fails to protect indigenous farmers and local producers, then the country risks reversing the gains of the Land Reform Programme and surrendering national economic sovereignty to foreign producers and import cartels," the association said.

"The Land Reform Programme was not merely about land ownership. It was about empowering indigenous Zimbabweans to produce, industrialise and control national value chains."

IGMAZ argued that the country's agricultural and industrial sectors could not thrive in an environment where imported products continue to dominate local markets at the expense of domestic producers.

The association warned that Zimbabwe risked becoming what it termed "a supermarket economy", where local production is gradually displaced by imports, leaving the country vulnerable to external market shocks and foreign supply chains.

The organisation said the policy seeks to stimulate local grain production, support value addition, improve food security and create a sustainable funding mechanism for agricultural infrastructure projects.

"We therefore fully support Government's policy direction under Statutory Instrument 87 of 2025, which seeks to promote local grain production, strengthen food security, finance irrigation infrastructure and reduce dependence on imports," the statement reads.

The association further noted that proceeds from the levy are already being directed towards irrigation development and other agricultural infrastructure projects designed to improve climate resilience and boost domestic agricultural productivity.

The debate over the levies has increasingly shifted beyond economics into the legal arena, with experts weighing in on whether government acted within the confines of the law when introducing the measures.

Legal experts familiar with the Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) Act maintain that government is fully empowered to impose the levies.

GMAZ, however, remains opposed to the measures, arguing that the additional costs associated with the levies will ultimately be passed on to consumers through higher prices for staple foods, including bread and mealie meal.

But supporters of the policy contend that short-term concerns over prices must be weighed against the long-term benefits of building a resilient agricultural sector capable of reducing Zimbabwe's growing reliance on imported grain.

Read the original article on New Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe: Indigenous Millers Back Grain Levies, Say Policy Protects Land Reform Gains, Food Security

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