Online Reporter
Edgar Vhera
Specialist Writer – Agribusiness
Livestock stakeholders are anxiously awaiting a Statutory Instrument from the Agriculture Ministry, with just two weeks left before President Mnangagwa’s deadline for the review of licences, permits, levies and fees expires.
In his remarks at the first Cabinet sitting of the year, the President said the directive aligned with the Second Republic’s commitment to reform and enhance the business environment, attract investment and improve service delivery.
The Government reviewed business regulations for livestock, dairy and stockfeed sub-sectors in September 2025 to enhance the investment climate, encourage domestic production and attract foreign direct investment in fulfilment of the 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.
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.
Among the abolished fees are butchery and fishmonger within a retail shop, carcass inspection, livestock movement clearance, cattle levy, dairy permit and generator levy.
Livestock and Meat Advisory Council (LMAC) executive administrator, Dr Reneth Mano, said they were still waiting for gazetting of the statutory instrument from the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development.
“SI 41 of 2026 only applies to issues to Rural District Councils (RDCs). We are awaiting the SI from the Ministry of Agriculture that will address all the levies and fees to enhance ease of doing business,” he said.
Zimbabwe Association of Dairy Farmers (ZADF) chief executive, Mrs Paidamoyo Chadoka, said the review of some levies and fees was a good start.
The fees and levies cut measures are also in line with the country’s mantra ‘Zimbabwe is Open for Business.’
Government is elevating efforts to retain agriculture as the mainstay and engine of the economy, cognisant of its crucial role in job creation, particularly for the rural population, supporting 65 percent of livelihoods and the bulk of the country’s exports.
The sector has, however, been experiencing challenges including excessive regulations, high compliance costs and duplication of responsibilities across institutions.
For instance, for the dairy sub sector, farmers required 25 permits across 12 agencies, feed manufacturers needed 23 permits from 10 departments, beef cattle farmers on 18, abattoirs with 20, dairy processors at 21 and feed processors on 23 requirements.
Not only are these requirements time-consuming, but they place a heavy financial and administrative burden on businesses.
The government has seen fit to remove duplication, reduce costs and ensure compliance to promote efficiency, competitiveness and formalisation.
