The High Court has dismissed an urgent application by the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe, led by Tafadzwa Musarara, seeking to halt Government’s grain import levy framework introduced under Statutory Instrument 87 of 2025.
In a ruling issued under case number HCH435/26, Justice Lucy Mungwari of the High Court Commercial Division in Harare ruled that the matter was “not urgent” and struck it off the urgent roll.
The application challenged Government’s levy framework, which authorities say is designed to protect local farmers, support irrigation infrastructure and reduce dependence on imports.
Respondents cited in the matter included the Agricultural Marketing Authority, the Ministers of Agriculture, Finance, Justice and Industry and Commerce, the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, ZimStat and the Attorney General.
The ruling allows Government to continue implementing the levy system, which has received backing from Treasury, farmer unions and indigenous millers.
In a letter dated April 30, 2026, Finance Secretary George Guvamatanga reaffirmed Treasury’s support for the levies under revised grain marketing arrangements for the 2025/26 summer season, saying pricing disparities between imported and locally produced grain affected producer viability, import substitution and macro-economic stability.
Government designated AMA as the collecting agent for the levies, with proceeds earmarked for farmer payments through the Grain Marketing Board and irrigation development programmes.
Related Stories
Legal experts say the framework is supported by the AMA Act, which provides for “the imposition and collection of levies on producers, buyers and processors of agricultural products.”
Authorities say about US$5.7 million has already been raised through the levy framework, with part of the funds being directed towards irrigation projects.
Earlier this month, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe was repositioning itself within global value chains through value addition.
“Zimbabwe is steadily taking a seat within the global value chain space, not as a mere supplier of raw materials but as a competitive producer of value-added goods,” he said during the 392nd Ordinary Session of the Politburo in Harare.
Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda recently warned that Zimbabwe’s rising import bill threatened industrial growth and national sovereignty.
“The import bill continues to exert an inexorable stranglehold on the economy, draining foreign currency and steadily corroding the very foundations upon which national prosperity must be built,” Adv Mudenda said.
He noted that imports had risen from US$4.5 billion in 2019 to a projected US$10 billion in 2026.
IGMAZ welcomed the court ruling, describing it as a progressive decision that protects Zimbabwe’s agrarian transformation agenda, food security objectives and local producers.
The association said SI 87 of 2025 remained important for protecting indigenous farmers, financing irrigation infrastructure and reducing reliance on imports.
Leave Comments