Sesame Crackdown Sees 15 Tonnes Seized As Smuggling To Mozambique Escalates
On the dust-choked road between Mbire and the Mozambican border, a loaded truck pulled over at a police checkpoint tells a bigger story than its sacks of seed suggest. Inside: sesame, neatly bagged, headed not to a licensed depot in Zimbabwe, but across the frontier through informal channels.
By the time the sun set on a week of raids in May, more than 15 600 kilogrammes of illegally traded sesame seed had been confiscated as authorities tightened a nationwide blitz on smuggling and side marketing at the start of the 2026 buying season.
The joint operation, led by the Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) and the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), is targeting syndicates moving the cash crop into Mozambique outside formal channels, particularly from Mbire, while also flushing out buyers operating without AMA licences. The 15 658 kg seized, valued at about US$11 400, has already been auctioned under standard enforcement procedures, AMA confirmed through statements carried by the Herald.
How The Sesame Blitz Unfolded
A breakdown of the operation shows a trail of interceptions across key producing districts as the marketing season gathered pace:
- On 17 May, 1 692 kg of sesame, valued at US$1 185, was seized in Mbire.
- On 22 May, 4 800 kg worth US$2 880 was recovered in Chiredzi.
- On the same day, a further 9 166 kg, valued at US$7 332, was intercepted again in Mbire.
In total, five compliance tickets with a combined value of US$5 000 were issued to offenders found trading outside the regulatory framework.
AMA chief executive, Ms Alice Mapfiza, said the authority would keep its foot on the pedal throughout the season.
“As the regulator of agricultural markets, AMA remains committed to ensuring orderly marketing systems that protect farmers, safeguard investments within the sesame value chain and promote transparency within the sector. Illegal sesame trading and smuggling activities will not be tolerated,” she said.
Her warning was unambiguous: anyone buying sesame seed without AMA registration risks prosecution, confiscation of produce, and penalties under existing regulations.
Why Sesame Is Attracting Smugglers
Sesame is one of Zimbabwe’s emerging export earners, valued for its oil-rich seed and strong demand in Asian, Middle Eastern, and regional markets. In districts like Mbire and Chiredzi, it has become an important smallholder cash crop, often grown alongside traditional staples such as sorghum and maize to spread risk.
FFA Explainer:
Sesame is a hardy oilseed crop that performs well in hot, low-rainfall areas. For smallholders, it offers several advantages: relatively low input requirements, strong export demand, and the ability to fit into crop rotations. However, its tradability and high value per kilogram also make it attractive to informal traders and smugglers.
As international prices firm and buyers scramble for volumes, informal traders often move in with ready cash, undercutting licensed contractors and pulling grain out of regulated depots. In border districts, the temptation to move seed across to Mozambique where traders may offer instant US dollars – no paperwork, no grading – can be hard for cash-strapped farmers to resist.
Yet that short-term gain carries long-term costs for both the farmer and the country’s broader agricultural ambitions under the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) and the African Union’s Agenda 2063. When volumes leak across borders or disappear into informal channels, Zimbabwe loses export earnings and tax revenue, while farmers expose themselves to disputes and non-payment with no legal recourse.
Licensed Buyers Step Up As Season Builds
Even as AMA and ZRP crack down on smuggling, the formal market is moving. Current figures compiled by AMA show that licensed contractors and buyers have already purchased 465 843 kg of sesame, valued at about US$372 674, as the marketing season gathers momentum.
This intake reflects growing interest in the crop from organised agribusinesses who see sesame as a strategic export with potential to improve rural incomes, particularly in drier regions. In parts of Mashonaland Central and Masvingo, contractors are rolling out input schemes and buying points much like those seen in cotton and soya bean, giving farmers a more predictable path to market.
For AMA, the message is clear: the crackdown isn’t about suffocating trade, but about channelling it through systems that are transparent and fair.
“The blitz is not only aimed at enforcing compliance, but also at strengthening confidence within the sesame sector, improving traceability and ensuring that Zimbabwe fully benefits from the growing international demand for sesame,” the authority said.
What Farmers Stand To Lose – Or Gain
In Mbire’s hot lowveld, sesame has become a lifeline. A good harvest can pay school fees, buy cattle, or fund a small irrigation kit. But selling through unregistered middlemen can quickly turn that opportunity into loss.
The risks include:
- Non-payment or underpayment: Informal buyers may disappear after loading, or use manipulated scales and prices.
- No contract protection: Without a written agreement with a licensed buyer, farmers have little recourse in disputes.
- Confiscation of produce: If intercepted, illegally traded sesame can be seized and auctioned, leaving growers with nothing.
- Exclusion from future schemes: Farmers who side-market may be blacklisted from input support or contract programmes.
Recognising these dangers, AMA has urged farmers to deliver only to registered and licensed buyers.
“Farmers should sell their produce only through registered and licenced buyers to avoid disputes, exploitation and losses during the marketing season,” the authority stressed.
For a smallholder in Mbire or Chiredzi, that might mean checking AMA lists at the local AGRITEX office, ward centre, or via SMS before loading a scotch cart or truck. It also means asking for – and keeping – weighbridge slips and receipts.
Sidelining Side Marketing: Why Orderly Trade Matters
Side marketing – where contracted farmers sell to other buyers instead of the company that provided them with inputs – has long dogged Zimbabwe’s commodity sectors, from cotton to soya bean. Sesame is no exception.
When contractors supply seed, fertiliser, and sometimes cash loans at the start of the season, they do so on the assumption that they’ll recover costs plus a margin when they buy the harvest. If side marketing becomes widespread, contractors pull back, leaving farmers without inputs the next year.
For a crop like sesame, still in a growth phase, this can stall expansion just as global demand is rising. It can also dent Zimbabwe’s reputation with international buyers who prize reliability and traceability – two pillars at the heart of modern agricultural trade and aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals on responsible production.
By insisting on licensed buyers and documented trade, AMA is trying to lock in that reliability. Contract farming and structured markets are not perfect, but they offer a framework within which disputes can be resolved and investments planned.
Mbire And Chiredzi: Border Economies Under Pressure
Mbire, hugging the Zambezi Valley, and Chiredzi, edging the south-eastern lowveld, share a common reality: they are far from major urban centres, close to international borders, and exposed to both climate shocks and informal cross-border trade.
For communities there, sesame fits well into the climate profile – heat tolerant, able to perform on poorer soils, and less water-hungry than crops like maize. That is why extension officers and NGOs have been promoting it as part of climate-smart farming packages, alongside small grains and conservation agriculture.
FFA Explainer:
Side marketing happens when a farmer under contract sells their produce to a different buyer, often for a slightly higher price on the day. While tempting, it breaks the contract, undermines input schemes, and can lead to legal action or exclusion from future support.
Yet proximity to borders means every bag of sesame has options – formal and informal. Traders know this. So do smugglers. That is why the ZRP–AMA operation has focused heavily on roadblocks and spot checks in these districts, where a single truckload can represent months of work for dozens of families.
Building Confidence In The Sesame Value Chain
Behind the sirens and seizures, there is a broader policy goal: rebuilding confidence in the sesame value chain so that farmers, contractors, processors, and exporters all feel that the rules of the game are fair and enforced.
Three pillars stand out:
- Compliance: Ensuring everyone in the chain – from farmer to exporter – is registered, licensed, and following the law.
- Traceability: Knowing where each tonne of sesame comes from, which matters for food safety, export contracts, and potential future sustainability standards.
- Value retention: Keeping as much value as possible within Zimbabwe, instead of losing seed – and revenue – across porous borders.
For policy makers, this links directly to the NDS1 emphasis on transforming smallholder agriculture into a more commercial, export-oriented engine for growth. For district leaders in Mbire and Chiredzi, it is about making sure that the hard work of local farmers translates into school fees, clinics, and local investment – not just profits for shadowy traders in border towns.
There is scope here, too, for innovation. Digital tools – from e-registration of buyers to mobile-based delivery confirmations – could make it harder for illegal traders to operate and easier for farmers to verify who they are dealing with. Programmes that target women and youth, who are often central to sesame production and aggregation, can further strengthen compliance and community oversight.
From Seizures To Solutions
As the 2026 sesame marketing season deepens, more trucks will roll out of Mbire, Chiredzi, and other producing areas. Some will head towards licensed depots and processors; others may still test the back roads to Mozambique.
The seizures of 15 658 kg of illegally traded seed, and the US$5 000 in compliance tickets, send a message that those back roads are narrowing. Yet confiscations alone will not build the resilient, high-value value chain Zimbabwe is aiming for.
The real test will be whether enforcement is matched with support: accessible information for farmers, timely registration and licensing for genuine buyers, and predictable, fair prices at legal buying points. If those pieces come together, sesame can grow from a smuggler’s favourite into a flagship of Zimbabwe’s climate-smart, export-ready agriculture.
On that same dusty border road in Mbire, the next truck loaded with sesame could just as easily be bound for a licensed depot, its load weighed, recorded, and paid for in full. For the farmers who planted those tiny seeds months ago under a harsh sun, that difference is everything.
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