- Zimbabwe has reversed its maize import ban just two months after imposing it, following a sharp downgrade of the 2024/25 harvest forecast
- South African Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen welcomed the move, calling it a return to sound economic principles that strengthen regional food security and trade
- The policy reversal highlights growing climate pressures and the need for open, cooperative grain markets across the Southern African region
Harare - Zimbabwe has reversed its maize import ban just two months after imposing it, a move prompted by a sharp downward revision in the country’s 2024/25 harvest forecast and growing concerns over food security.
The decision, formalised through Statutory Instrument (SI) 87 of 2025, permits millers and contractors to import maize “in instances of need,” marking a significant policy shift with implications extending well beyond Zimbabwe’s borders.
The reversal follows an earlier projection that had estimated the 2024/25 maize harvest at 2.3 million metric tons a figure later downgraded to 1.8 million tons due to prolonged dry spells and erratic rainfall across the country.
The decline left the country facing a shortfall of 480,000 tons, prompting authorities to re-evaluate the self-sufficiency narrative.
“This is an extremely welcome development that underscores the collective responsibility we share in ensuring food sufficiency,” South Africa’s Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, said.
‘’The agricultural sector thrives on predictability and efficiency, and restrictive trade measures, while sometimes intended to protect local producers, too often lead to market distortions that ultimately harm the consumer,’’ he said.
The policy U-turn comes at a time when much of Southern Africa is grappling with climate-induced agricultural stress. The 2024/25 agricultural season was one of the driest in recent memory, with the El Niño weather pattern exacerbating drought conditions across the region.
According to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Early Warning Unit, at least nine member states, including Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Zambia, reported production declines in key cereals.
For Zimbabwe, whose agriculture contributes nearly 17% to GDP and supports over two-thirds of its population, the implications are significant.
The government’s earlier optimism was tied to the Pfumvudza/Intwasa programme and expanded irrigation efforts, which were expected to cushion the sector. However, inconsistent rainfall patterns have strained those interventions, forcing the state to reconsider its import and pricing strategy.
The reversal also reflects a growing recognition of the interconnectedness of regional food systems. South Africa, one of the largest maize exporters in Africa, has surplus capacity in both white and yellow maize, making it a natural supplier to Zimbabwe and other deficit nations.
Millers and food processors in Zimbabwe, will get relief from supply bottlenecks and price volatility that had threatened to push mealie-meal prices even higher.
The move is a necessary correction that balances protectionism with pragmatism. Restrictive import policies, while politically popular in some quarters, often backfire when climatic realities undermine domestic production.
Through opening its borders, Zimbabwe is aligning itself more closely with regional trade objectives under the SADC Industrialisation Strategy and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), both of which advocate for freer intra-African trade and food security cooperation.
In practical terms, the resumption of imports is expected to stabilise mealie-meal supplies in Zimbabwe’s urban markets and prevent speculative price hikes. It may also help rebuild trust between the state and private millers, some of whom had already begun sourcing maize informally from South Africa despite the ban.
Equity Axis News
