Harare — In a sweeping move to revitalise the agricultural sector, the Zimbabwean government has approved significant reductions in licences, permits, levies and fees across crops, horticulture, fisheries and fertiliser sub-sectors, slashing some costs by as much as 90 percent.

The sweeping reforms, announced following the Sixth Cabinet meeting at Munhumutapa Building today, 17th March 2026, are designed to reduce the cost of doing business, increase competitiveness and enhance the viability of agricultural enterprises.

Among the most dramatic cuts, the Agricultural Marketing Authority Contractor registration fees for crops have been reduced from US$1,000 to just US$250 – a 75 percent decrease. Even steeper reductions were approved for trader registration fees, plummeting from US$1,000 to US$100.

In a move set to benefit the fishing industry, Cabinet approved the removal of the 15.5 percent Value Added Tax on fish and fish products sales, effectively making the commodity more affordable for consumers. Fish harvest fees of US$7.50 per tonne have also been scrapped entirely.

Environmental compliance costs have been halved, with effluent discharge fees dropping from US$27,000 to US$13,500, while pesticide registration fees have been cut from US$300 to US$150. Lake lease fees payable to the National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority have similarly been reduced by 50 percent, from US$30,000 to US$15,000.

The review, which aligns with a Cabinet decision of 29 July 2025 to implement business reforms across twelve economic sectors, also targets duplicated and overlapping regulatory requirements.

Information Minister Zhemu Soda, briefing journalists following the Cabinet meeting, emphasised that the reforms aim to enable the growth of the Zimbabwean economy by removing unnecessary levies and unjustifiably high fees.

Beyond the fee reductions, Cabinet approved three supportive structural policy reforms: expanding deterrent fines for agricultural theft to cover all produce and equipment including fisheries; waiving import licence requirements for farmers importing spare parts for their own use; and reviewing dam construction regulations to incentivise private sector investment in dam building.

A comprehensive schedule of the reviewed licences, permits and fees will be duly gazetted following further refinements.