Staff Writer 
AUTHORITIES say there was no maize shortage in Zimbabwe, also dismissing reports that Blue Ribbons industries and other millers had shut down operations in Bulawayo.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development said it had obtained information directly from Blue Ribbon and the other millers named in the claim.
“That information does not support the false narrative being circulated. Blue Ribbon and the 23 named millers have not shut down their milling operations,” the ministry said.
The government intervention follows a report that Blue Ribbon and 23 other millers in the southern region had stopped milling because of declining supplies of locally produced maize.
A circular attributed to Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe Southern Region chairperson Major (Rtd) David Moyo said local maize supplies had “significantly declined”, affecting millers’ ability to maintain production and build reserves.
Moyo’s circular also claimed that Blue Ribbon and the other millers had closed their grain milling operations in Bulawayo. Government says that claim is false.
It has also rejected attempts to turn concerns over grain availability into evidence of a national maize shortage.
“Zimbabwe has produced more maize and has grain,” the ministry said, pointing to official production figures showing maize output rising from 2.29 million tonnes in 2025 to 2.69 million tonnes in 2026, a 17.1 percent increase.
Government is now projecting a strategic grain surplus of between 550,945 tonnes and 964,945 tonnes, while Grain Marketing Board stocks stood at 252,177 tonnes as at August 19.
The ministry acknowledged that some localised supply and grain-quality challenges exist, including reports of insect infestation in portions of grain stocks, but said such problems should not be elevated into claims of a national shortage.
“Government will not permit isolated operational challenges to be weaponised to create a false national grain crisis,” the ministry said.
The response comes amid an ongoing dispute between Government and grain millers over policies aimed at protecting domestic production.
The dispute centres on the grain import levy framework introduced under Statutory Instrument 87 of 2025.
GMAZ has opposed the levies, arguing that they increase costs for millers and consumers, while Government maintains that the measures are intended to protect local farmers, promote domestic production and reduce dependence on imported grain.
In June, GMAZ’s urgent High Court challenge against the framework was struck off the urgent roll.
The latest controversy has gained traction partly because Blue Ribbon’s Bulawayo plant actually shut down during a maize shortage in September 2025.
At the time, the company confirmed that its plant had run out of grain, while millers called for greater access to imports.
