THE Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) has issued a final demand to the Ministry of Agriculture, threatening urgent court action unless the government repeals newly imposed import levies which it says are unlawful and will trigger sharp price hikes on basic food commodities.
In a letter dated 27 May 2026 addressed to Permanent Secretary Obert Jiri, GMAZ described Statutory Instrument 87 of 2025 as "ultra vires the Constitution and the Agricultural Marketing Act."
The association argues that the Minister is limited to imposing levies only on locally grown agricultural produce. "Therefore, the levy on imported agricultural produce is deemed to be a tax. The Minister has acted outside his province and consequently violates section 298(2) of the Constitution," the letter reads.
The Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) imposed the levies with effect from 11 May 2026, including USD 89.25 per metric ton on imported soft wheat and the same amount on hard wheat after the exhaustion of a monthly 30% quota.
GMAZ says it sought a meeting with AMA Chief Executive Alice Maffiza on 26 May 2026 at her Mt Pleasant offices, but "shareholders, CEOs and senior executives of the milling and stockfeed industries came, and regrettably the CEO could not be found." The association labelled her conduct "extremely condescending and truant."
According to the millers' "scientific computations" the levies will spike basic commodity prices by between 13% and 18%. A 10kg roller meal packet will rise from USD 4.60 to approximately USD 5.20 — a 13% increase — while a 50kg bag of bakers flour will jump from USD 36.00 to USD 41.00, representing a 13.89% increase. Bread is expected to rise to at least USD 1.15 per loaf, and stock feeds will increase by 18%, with meat and milk products projected to move up accordingly.
The association expressed astonishment that the ministry is imposing new levies "barely a fortnight after Cabinet announced there will be no new levies, and in fact, it has been lowering some of the levies and fees to ameliorate consumer spending."
GMAZ also raised concerns over the marginalisation of Matabeleland provinces, arguing that millers in the region should be allowed to import maize from South Africa duty-free to address demand-supply gaps caused by weather-related poor harvests. Imposing a USD 40 import levy, the association said, is "insensitive, unfair and unreasonable" as it increases stockfeed costs and slows animal farming.
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The association demanded that the government repeal Statutory Instrument 87 of 2025 by close of business on 28 May 2026, or confirm in writing within the same deadline that repeal will happen within seven days. It also demanded that AMA refund approximately USD 9 million in levies already paid by its members.
"If we do not receive the requested response, we will, without further notice, urgently approach the Court to seek the necessary relief," the letter warns.
GMAZ noted that the levies are "unprecedented as they were never imposed since 1890 or in recorded modern history," and questioned why government would reduce vehicle registration fees while slapping grain imports with a 20% levy. The association said it "solidly stands behind the President and the National Development Strategy 2" but charged that the levies "stand affront to such noble efforts."
