- Mineral exports rose 84% to $2.532 billion in the first half of 2026, MMCZ says.
- PGM matte, spodumene and PGM concentrates accounted for more than 74% of export earnings.
- MMCZ says it is strengthening mineral tracking and oversight as Zimbabwe expands local processing.
MINERAL exports marketed through the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) rose 84% to $2.532 billion in the first half of 2026, from $1.376 billion a year earlier, the state-owned agency said.
MMCZ General Manager Nomusa Jane Moyo attributed the increase to stronger global demand, favourable commodity prices and increased exports of value-added mineral products.
Platinum group metal (PGM) matte accounted for 33.93% of export earnings, followed by spodumene concentrates at 26.57% and PGM concentrates at 13.73%, according to MMCZ.
Together, the three products accounted for more than 74% of the reported export value, highlighting the continued importance of platinum and lithium to Zimbabwe’s mineral trade.
“The US$2.532 billion recorded demonstrates the impact of the beneficiation and value addition policy,” Moyo said. “Based on the market trends and performance of our key mineral commodities, we are confident of surpassing our projected annual revenue this year.”
MMCZ said lithium sulphate was an emerging value-added export product, with local processing allowing Zimbabwe to retain more value from its lithium resources.
“Lithium sulphate is emerging as a new value-added export mineral commodity,” Moyo said. “The Corporation views this development as an important step towards establishing Zimbabwe as a regional hub for battery mineral processing.”
Zimbabwe has been pushing for greater local processing of its mineral resources. In February, the government suspended exports of all lithium concentrates and raw minerals with immediate effect, citing the need to strengthen mineral accountability and promote local beneficiation.
That policy has been accompanied by investment in domestic processing. Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt’s subsidiary Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe operates a lithium sulphate plant at the Arcadia mine in Goromonzi, while other Chinese companies are developing additional processing facilities.
Reuters reported this month that Zimbabwe’s only operating lithium sulphate plant cannot process concentrates from outside producers because of limited capacity. Several other plants are under construction but are unlikely to be ready before the January 2027 deadline, according to the report.
MMCZ said the export figures showed a shift towards products that undergo greater processing before leaving the country.
“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,” Moyo said.
The corporation cited ferrochrome, steel, polished granite slabs and lithium sulphate as examples of products that it says generate greater value than unprocessed minerals.
MMCZ’s mandate includes mineral marketing, export management, quality control and regulatory compliance. It also provides advice on mineral beneficiation and value addition.
Moyo said MMCZ was strengthening its oversight through contract monitoring, price verification, mineral valuation and inspection systems.
“MMCZ is investing in digitalisation and laboratory capacity to improve transparency, traceability and mineral accounting across the export value chain,” she said.
Zimbabwe’s push for local processing has accelerated in the lithium sector. The country exported more than 1.1 million tonnes of spodumene concentrate in 2025, much of it to China, while Chinese companies have invested heavily in local lithium mining and processing.
The policy is intended to increase the value captured domestically from mineral resources, but the transition also faces capacity constraints.
Moyo said MMCZ expects PGMs, lithium products, ferrochrome, steel and coke to remain the main drivers of mineral export growth in the second half of 2026, supported by beneficiation, market diversification and downstream processing.
