Tanzania has announced a ban on the import of agricultural products from South Africa and Malawi.
The ban, which took effect at midnight on Wednesday, was declared by Tanzania’s Agriculture Minister Hussein Bashe, who said the move was in retaliation for similar restrictions imposed on Tanzanian exports.
Tanzania, Malawi and South Africa all belong to the Southern African Development Community, SADC.
Speaking via a video posted on social media, Bashe accused both countries of enacting unfair trade measures. Malawi recently blocked imports of Tanzanian maize flour, rice, ginger, and bananas, while South Africa has long prohibited the entry of Tanzanian bananas. Despite diplomatic efforts to reverse the bans, neither country had complied with Tanzania’s Wednesday deadline.
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“We are taking this measure to protect our business,” Bashe stated. “In business, we must all respect each other.”
The ban affects a wide range of imports, including South African apples and grapes, and comes as a blow to Malawi, which heavily relies on Tanzanian ports like Dar es Salaam for export and import activities.
Tanzania won’t be only halting imports, it will also stop the transit of agricultural goods through its territory en route to Malawi and suspend fertilizer exports.
At the usually busy Kasumulu border post, only a handful of trucks were seen Thursday, a sharp contrast to the typical volume of over 15 lorries carrying agricultural produce daily. Many Malawian transporters and traders expressed frustration, citing disrupted supply chains and losses from spoiled goods.
Despite the tensions, Bashe emphasized that talks with both countries will continue. He assured the public that food security in Tanzania would not be affected by the ban, quipping, “No Tanzanian will die from a lack of South African grapes or apples.”
