The Foreign Agricultural Service of the United States Department of Agriculture (FAS USDA) forecasts that Zimbabwe will import about 1 million tonnes of maize in the 2025/26 season to meet domestic demand. Compared to the last season, which ended on April 30, maize imports are expected to fall by almost 25%, due to higher local production due to favourable weather conditions.
However, Zimbabwe remains a net importer of maize, as annual domestic consumption is expected to exceed production by 850,000 tonnes. The country has been a net importer of maize since the early 2000s after land reforms negatively affected agricultural production.
Maize imports are expected to begin in the second half of the season after local maize supplies on the market tightened. However, most of the imports are likely to come from South Africa, which has about 1.5 million tonnes available for export. Although Zimbabwe has zero import duty on maize, the Ministry of Lands, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development has recommended a temporary ban on cereal imports to prioritise local producers. The proposal has been enthusiastically received by Zimbabwean farmers.
Zimbabwe imported 1.3 million tonnes of maize in 2024/25, up significantly from 700,000 tonnes in 2023/24. Dry conditions have increased demand for imported maize. Most of the maize last season was imported from South Africa (835,000 tonnes of white and 440,000 tonnes of yellow), the same as in 2023/24 (640,000 tonnes).
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