Southern Africa: Botswana extends ban on South African fruits and vegetables

Published 2023년 12월 7일

Tridge summary

Botswana has extended and expanded restrictions on imports of fresh produce from South Africa in an effort to become self-sufficient in food and reduce its import bill, resulting in a 71% reduction in the import bill for fresh produce. The deadline for the ban has been extended to 2025, and the number of affected products will double to 32 from July 2024, impacting staples such as potatoes, tomatoes, and onions. South African consumers may benefit from cheaper products at home, but the ban may be in contravention of the Southern African Customs Union trade agreement, and has put pressure on the small agricultural sector in drought-prone Botswana, which previously relied on South Africa for 80% of its food supply.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

Cape Town — Botswana announced on Monday, December 5, 2023 that it would extend and expand restrictions on imports of some fresh produce from South Africa as it tries to become self-sufficient in food and cut its import bill. Botswana's President Mokgweetsi Masisi said the import ban had slashed the country's fresh-produce import bill by 71%. Botswana, together with Namibia, extended its end December 2023 deadline to 2025. The number of products will double to 32, from July 2024. Among the staples impacted will be potatoes, tomatoes and onions which are among the largest commodities affected. While it could be good news for South African consumers, as the ban could lead to cheaper products at home, Agriculture Minister Thoko Didiza is looking to engage with her Botswana counterpart as the government says that this is in contravention of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) trade agreement with other southern African neighbours. ...

Source: All Africa