Zimbabwe lithium companies jointly apply for a delay in the ban on exporting lithium ore. Currently, only Huayou Cobalt has completed the lithium sulfate production line.

Zimbabwe lithium producers are collectively pressuring the government to postpone the lithium concentrate export ban that was originally scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2027, to March or June 2027, as the local lithium processing plants of major mining companies are generally not yet completed. According to Zimbabwean media reports, Innocent Rukweza, chairman of the Lithium Producers Association, publicly stated at the annual conference of the Zimbabwe Chamber of Mines held in Victoria Falls on June 18th that the association has filed complaints with the Minister of Mines, the permanent secretary, and the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation - requesting some leniency in the industry and delaying the implementation of the beneficiation ban by about five months from January 2027. "We are not trying to evade our beneficiation obligations, but we kindly ask to allow us to finish ongoing projects," Rukweza said. He emphasized that the industry has committed to investing approximately $1.45 billion in constructing local processing facilities, "with the sole goal of compliantly completing beneficiation according to government policy."