Online Reporter
Edgar Vhera-Specialist Writer – Agribusiness
STAKEHOLDERS in the livestock sector have called for the 2026 Mid-Term Budget Review to prioritise measures to give effect to the revised regulatory framework, citing delays in implementation nearly 12 months after its announcement.
The Mid-Term Budget review is expected to be presented tomorrow.
Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister, Professor Mthuli Ncube, while presenting the 2026 budget last year, said President Mnangagwa highlighted the urgent need to address high and numerous levies, licences, fees, charges and 233 permits that increase the cost of doing business and impede economic dynamism.
In response to this call, the Government commenced reforms to streamline regulatory and compliance requirements to foster a conducive environment for business to drive investment.
Prof Ncube said the Government approved reforms in the livestock, dairy and feedstock manufacturing on August 5, 2025.
The minister disclosed that the promulgation of the necessary legislative frameworks to formalise the implementation of these reforms was currently underway, through coordinated efforts involving the Office of the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, his ministry, the Office of the Attorney General and relevant sector ministries.
“Some of the approved reforms have been gazetted through the Finance Act of 2026, while others will be gazetted through Statutory Instruments and legal reforms by the respective line ministries.
“Government targets to complete the review of the outstanding seven sectors by the first quarter of 2026,” he said during the budget presentation.
In his remarks at the first Cabinet sitting this 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) and Stockfeed Manufacturers Association of Zimbabwe (SMAZ) executive administrator, Dr Reneth Mano, said livestock industry players were worried that the reforms had not been gazetted almost a year after their announcement and called on the Minister of Finance to address this when he presents the 2026 mid-term budget review.
“The Honourable Minister of Finance must acknowledge the financing gap created by cutting the regulatory cost of compliance and propose a fiscal strategy for closing the budgetary gap facing affected regulatory entities.
“A strategy may involve rationalising the size and recurrent budgetary cost structures of regulatory agencies, returning some functions to departmental posts of line ministries that are already fully funded,” he said.
Dr Mano pointed out that internal budgetary considerations will continue to impose formidable policy barriers against expediting Cabinet-approved cuts in regulatory cost of compliance before securing additional fiscal resources from Treasury to ensure that regulatory agencies have budgetary resources generated from fees and levies to stay afloat.
“The oxygen must remain connected to keep regulatory agencies alive until such a time when the Government makes the life and death decision to either disconnect them from the oxygen tank or connect them to another perennial source of oxygen within their line ministries,” he added.
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.
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 of the fees applicable to the livestock sector, while other ministries are still to implement the regulations.
Among the abolished fees are butchery and fishmongering within a retail shop, carcass inspection, livestock movement clearance, cattle levy, dairy permit and generator levy.
