The government has unveiled sweeping reforms to ease the cost of doing business in Zimbabwe’s livestock, dairy and stockfeed sectors, cutting dozens of regulatory fees and abolishing duplications that officials say have long stifled growth.
Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister Mthuli Ncube announced the changes in a statement issued on Wednesday, 10 September.
He described the changes as the first phase of a wider programme to simplify regulations across all sectors of the economy.
Ncube said that the reforms are part of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s “Zimbabwe is Open for Business” mantra and are supported by technical assistance from the World Bank. He said:
“The initiative seeks to enhance the investment climate, encourage domestic production, and attract foreign direct investment.”
The reforms begin with agriculture, which Ncube described as the “mainstay of the economy,” supporting 65 per cent of livelihoods, driving exports and providing the bulk of rural employment.
Until now, farmers and processors have faced a maze of red tape. Dairy farmers, for example, needed up to 25 permits from 12 different agencies, while feed manufacturers required 23 permits from 10 departments.
Abattoirs, beef cattle farmers and processors all faced similarly heavy administrative burdens. Said Ncube:
“These requirements placed a heavy financial and administrative burden on businesses, especially smallholders.”
Among the most significant changes:
- Farm registration fees under the Agricultural Marketing Authority have been reduced to a flat US$1, while small- and medium-scale farmers will no longer require a registration certificate. Large-scale farmers will now pay just US$50.
- Dairy processor registration has been cut from US$350 annually to a one-time fee of US$50. Feed manufacturers will now pay only US$20, down from as much as US$250.
- Livestock movement clearance has been reduced from US$10 per beast to US$5 per herd. Duplicate local authority permits have been abolished.
- Import permits for livestock genetics have been lowered from US$100 to US$20, while export registration fees for dairy products have been slashed from US$900 to US$10. Meat export registration has been reduced from US$500 to US$100.
- Health and safety costs have also been scaled back, with abattoir establishment fees falling from US$350 to US$50, veterinary abattoir registration capped at US$100, and food handler health certificates scrapped.
- Environmental costs have been drastically cut, including the EMA effluent disposal fee, which drops from US$800 to US$100 annually, while ZINWA borehole and water abstraction fees have been scrapped altogether.
- Several levies and licences, including the cattle levy, biosafety permit, biotechnology authority import licence, and the Consignment-Based Conformity Assessment Certificate (CBCA), have been abolished.
Ncube said the changes are expected to lower the cost of doing business, encourage exports, create jobs and support rural development, while boosting competitiveness and formalisation in the sector. He said:
The reforms remove duplication, reduce costs, and simplify compliance to promote efficiency, competitiveness, and formalisation.
The livestock and dairy reforms mark the first stage of the government’s broader ease of doing business drive.
Ncube said similar regulatory overhauls would soon be extended to tourism, transport, retail and other strategic industries.
