Zimbabwe’s chrome production plunged 61% in the first quarter of 2026 as the depletion of easily mined alluvial chrome deposits forced producers to shift to more costly hard-rock mining, exposing structural challenges in a sector dominated by small-scale operators, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Ryan Chigoche
Latest figures from the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development show chrome recorded one of the steepest production declines among the country’s major minerals during the January to March period, raising concerns over the industry’s ability to sustain output as easily accessible deposits become exhausted.
Zimbabwe’s chrome production fell sharply during the reporting period, with output declining to 178,425 metric tonnes from 465,638 metric tonnes in the prior comparable period, marking a 61% drop in production.
Commenting on the sharp decline, Chrome Miners Association of Zimbabwe Chairperson Shelton Lucas said the contraction reflects the exhaustion of alluvial chrome deposits, which have historically contributed to the bulk of the country’s production.
“Chrome production declined by 61% because the alluvial chrome, which contributed to most of the chrome production, is now exhausted, and it requires a long time to be replenished through sedimentary deposition,” Lucas told Mining Zimbabwe.
For years, alluvial chrome has been the backbone of Zimbabwe’s chrome industry, particularly for artisanal and small-scale miners. Unlike lumpy chrome, which is locked in hard-rock deposits, alluvial chrome occurs in loose surface sediments and can be extracted using relatively simple and low-cost mining methods. Its accessibility enabled thousands of small-scale miners to enter the sector with limited capital and equipment.
However, as these near-surface deposits have become depleted, miners are increasingly being forced to extract lumpy chrome from hard-rock deposits. The transition requires drilling, blasting, crushing, and greater mechanisation, significantly increasing production costs and placing the resource beyond the reach of many small-scale operators who dominate Zimbabwe’s chrome mining industry.
Lucas said the economics of hard-rock mining have become increasingly unsustainable under current market conditions.
“The cost of mining lumpy chrome doesn’t match the price. Since there was a ban on ore exports, miners have been left susceptible to predatory pricing from Chinese companies that own smelters,” he said.
Zimbabwe banned the export of raw chrome ore to promote local beneficiation and encourage investment in domestic smelting. While the policy has supported value addition, miners argue that the limited number of smelters has reduced competition for ore, leaving producers with fewer buyers and weaker bargaining power over prices, even as the cost of mining lumpy chrome continues to rise.
Lucas said increasing processing options for miners would help restore balance to the market.
“We should have government-owned smelters that can do toll smelting for chrome,” he said.
Under a toll-smelting arrangement, miners pay a processing fee while retaining ownership of their chrome, allowing them to market the processed product instead of selling raw ore at prices determined by smelter operators.
The Ministry of Mines has said that addressing production contractions through targeted investment in mining infrastructure, energy supply, and operational efficiency will be essential to sustaining growth in the mining sector over the medium term.
The latest production figures suggest Zimbabwe’s chrome industry is entering a new phase, where sustaining output will increasingly depend on miners’ ability to transition from easily mined alluvial deposits to capital-intensive hard-rock operations while ensuring they receive prices that justify the higher cost of extraction.
