Farai Mabeza
Zimbabwe\'s mineral exports excluding gold, silver and rough diamonds surged by 84% during the first half of 2026, reflecting the growing contribution of value-added mineral products to the country\'s export earnings.
Figures released by the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) show that exports reached US$2.532 billion between January and June 2026, up from US$1.376 billion recorded during the same period in 2025.
MMCZ General Manager Dr Nomusa Jane Moyo attributed the sharp increase to stronger global demand, favourable commodity prices and the growing impact of Zimbabwe\'s mineral beneficiation and value addition policy.
\"The US$2.532 billion recorded demonstrates the impact of the beneficiation and value addition policy. Based on the market trends and performance of our key mineral commodities, we are confident of surpassing our projected annual revenue this year,\" said Dr Moyo.
Platinum Group Metals (PGM) matte remained Zimbabwe\'s biggest mineral export through MMCZ, accounting for 33.93% of total export value. It was followed by spodumene concentrates (26.57%) and PGM concentrates (13.73%).
Together, the three mineral products contributed more than 74% of total export earnings, underlining Zimbabwe\'s growing importance as a supplier of platinum group metals and critical minerals needed for the global energy transition.
Dr Moyo said the emergence of lithium sulphate as a value-added export marked an important milestone for the country, as the product undergoes significant local processing before export.
\"The Corporation views this development as an important step towards establishing Zimbabwe as a regional hub for battery mineral processing,\" she said.
She added that the country\'s mineral industry was steadily moving away from exporting raw minerals towards higher-value processed products.
\"The results confirm that success in the mineral sector is no longer measured simply by export volumes, but by the value realised from every tonne exported. We are increasingly exporting products such as ferrochrome, steel, polished granite slabs and lithium sulphate, which command significantly higher values than unprocessed minerals.\"
Looking ahead, MMCZ expects PGMs, lithium products, ferrochrome, steel and coke to remain the main drivers of export growth during the second half of 2026, supported by continued beneficiation, downstream processing and market diversification.
