Online Reporter
Edgar Vhera
Agriculture Specialist Writer
GOVERNMENT has put in place supportive policies and programmes to boost fish production in the country.
This comes after a realisation of the important role fish play in nutrition, employment creation and overall empowerment of communities.
Government initiated the Presidential Fisheries Schemes, community fingerlings hubs and enabling policy environment to encourage participation by strategic partnerships in the sector.
Launching the Zimbabwe Tilapia Value Chain Market Strategy (2026-30) on Tuesday, Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Deputy Minister Davis Marapira said fish production was important in improving livelihoods of different communities.
The launch followed more than six months of intensive research and stakeholder consultations that brought a validated draft document.
The meeting was hosted by the Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) with technical support from Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) under the Fish4ACP programme and co-financing from the European union (EU) and German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
Deputy Minister Davis Marapira said the Second Republic had put its weight solidly behind all efforts aimed at transforming the sector towards the country’s prosperity, and valued the collective work that had been exhibited by all stakeholders along the Tilapia Value Chain.
“This commitment is clearly articulated in our national development strategies, including the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS 2) and the broader Vision 2030 agenda, which seek to position Zimbabwe as a prosperous and empowered upper-middle-income society,” he said.
Dep Min Marapira said aquaculture was a critical pillar for food and nutrition security, rural industrialisation, employment creation, especially for youth and women, import substitution and export development.
Cabinet recently approved the reduction and abolishment of some fees, licenses and levies to enhance ease of doing business, with the latest being the scraping of 15 percent Value Added Tax (VAT) on fish and fish products.
“Zimbabwe still faces a 25 000-tonne fish supply gap, from an annual demand of 60 000 tonnes against current local production of 35 151 tonnes.
“This deficit is partly met through imports, but it also signals an opportunity to build domestic capacity, invest in infrastructure and empower our farmers to meet national demand,” he said.
Zimbabwe’s fish exports grew steadily from 2005, reaching a peak of US$15,3 million in 2014. From 2015 to date, exports have declined, falling to US$143 207 in 2025.
FAO Deputy Southern Africa regional coordinator, Mr Louis Muhigirwa said the strategy launched was not merely a document but a blueprint for the beginning of a new journey in Zimbabwe’s aquaculture sector.
“This strategy is an accelerator, bringing together evidence, market insights and stakeholder ambitions to chart a bold, coordinated path forward.
“A strategy on its own is only a blueprint, its power lies in us bring it to life, transforming plans on paper into tangible results that move the sector forward,” he said.
AMA board chairman, Mr Munyaradzi Hwengere said the blueprint was meant to recalibrate Zimbabwe to number one position in Africa after it had fallen from top 10 producers even though it had many water bodies.
AMA chief executive, Ms Alice Mapfiza said US$5,03 million was required between now and 2030 for training and capacity building, cold chain and hubs among other things.
“We will have a four-phase value-chain maturity with phase 1 (2026) focussing on market entry (graded fresh/frozen whole fish, batched coded sales) while phase 2 (2027) shifts to early value addition (gutted, portion, grill-ready packs).
“Phase 3 (2028) is fixed on growth and diversification (fillets, smoked, ready-to-cook) and lastly phase 4 (2029-30) targets full carcass utilisation (by-product lines, waste reduction),” she said.
