Recently the government of Zimbabwe gazetted Statutory Instrument 97 of 2021 which seeks to regulate the sale, transportation and export of soya beans. Although the law primarily deals with how soya bean contract farmers are supposed to sell and transport their soya bean produce it also bans the export of soya beans. From henceforth only the Grain Marketing Board will be allowed to export soya beans.

Some of the key provisions of the new Statutory Instrument are as follows:

If you are a contract farmer you can now only sell your soya beans will only be sold to GMB or the company that sponsored your contract
If you are a soya bean farmer you are required to deliver all soya beans produce to the GMB or the company that sponsored your contract. You will only be allowed to keep 100kgs
If you are found to be transporting more than 50kgs of soya beans the police are authorised to seize the soybeans
Owners of seized soya beans will be required to pay for stored soya beans while they wait for the matter to be settled by the courts.
From now onwards only the GMB will be allowed to export soya beans.
Anyone who sells, transports or exports soya beans outside this instrument will be asked to pay a fine three times the value of the soya beans and or face two years imprisonement.

Download Statutory Instrument 97 of 2021