ZANU PF MP Togarepi Calls for Inquiry Into High Cement and Fertiliser Prices

“In the region, a bag of fertiliser is about US$25, and in Zimbabwe today, that same bag is US$50,” Pupurai Togarepi told NewZimbabwe.com.

ZANU PF Chief Whip and Gutu South legislator Pupurai Togarepi called for an investigation into the high cost of cement and fertiliser in Zimbabwe. Local consumers are paying almost double the prices charged in neighbouring countries, he said while raising the matter as a point of national interest in Parliament on Tuesday.

Togarepi called on Industry and Commerce Minister Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu to issue a ministerial statement explaining why prices vary widely along the local supply chain. Speaker of Parliament Advocate Jacob Mudenda waived the request for an immediate ministerial statement.

Stressing that the matter needed to be addressed immediately, the legislator asked why residents had to fork out vastly more money for vital farming supplies than people in other parts of southern Africa.

“So the difference, I do not understand why we have this. Is it cost-sharing? Are these people carrying costs that we don’t know?” Togarepi said.

Zimbabwe previously enjoyed competitive fertiliser prices compared to other countries in the region and internationally, Togarepi said, questioning how local farmers could remain profitable under the current cost structure. “How do our people produce? We already have a high cost of production,” he said.

Because of these cost gaps, he pointed out, citizens were compelled to purchase farming supplies across the border even when factoring in extra transport charges. “That is why we have seen people buying from other countries. Why are they giving us competitive prices to save our people?” he asked.

He called upon the parliamentary portfolio committee overseeing industry and commerce to thoroughly examine the full supply network—from manufacturing to importation and retail—to uncover why such vast price gaps exist. He maintained that bringing in fertiliser from nearby nations would still cost less than purchasing items produced inside the country.

“I don’t know how we can be helped by this Industry Committee if we cannot go to this place and put in our portfolio committee for Industry and Commerce for us to know the justification of these disparities. They are huge,” Togarepi said.

Additionally, the politician expressed worry over soaring cement rates, noting that constructing houses had grown too expensive for everyday citizens. He emphasized that the legislature had a duty to safeguard buyers and prevent domestic producers from exploiting the situation.

These worries arise as agricultural producers get ready for the 2026/27 summer cropping season, with fertiliser continuing to represent one of the largest expenses for cultivating maize and other crops under both commercial operations and the Pfumvudza initiative.