Tanzania has banned all agricultural imports from South Africa and Malawi, marking the latest escalation in an intensifying trade dispute.
- Tanzania has banned agricultural imports from South Africa and Malawi.
- Malawi and South Africa had previously imposed restrictions on Tanzanian agricultural products.
- Tanzania emphasized the move was to safeguard the country’s economic interests and ensure fair treatment for its producers.
Tanzania has banned all agricultural imports from South Africa and Malawi, marking the latest escalation in an intensifying trade dispute.
Last week, Malawi and South Africa imposed restrictions on several Tanzanian agricultural products including rice, flour, ginger, bananas, and maize, a move that significantly disrupted the flow of goods and affected local traders who export to the Southern Africa region.
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In response, Tanzania’s Agriculture Minister Hussein Bashe issued an ultimatum via a post on X, giving Pretoria and Lilongwe until the following Wednesday to lift the non-tariff barriers on Tanzanian goods.
With no action taken by the deadline, Tanzania followed through with an immediate ban on all agricultural imports from the two countries.
What the agriculture minister said:
“In regards to Malawi, since they have not withdrawn the notice restricting Tanzanian imports, we are officially banning all agricultural products originating from Malawi from entering our country,” he said.
“We are taking this step to protect our business interests. This is business – in business, we must all respect each other,” Bashe said on Wednesday while confirming the move.
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South Africa has long maintained a ban on banana imports from Tanzania, while Malawi, Tanzania’s northern neighbour, has restricted the entry of flour, rice, ginger, bananas, and maize.
“It is a strategic move to create an environment where local businesses can thrive without the immediate pressure of foreign competition,” Malawi’s Trade Minister, Vitumbiko Mumba, said at the time.
Although previous diplomatic efforts to resolve these longstanding trade tensions have yielded little progress, Bashe noted that new negotiations are currently underway.
He emphasized that Tanzania’s response was not intended to ignite a trade war, but rather to safeguard the country’s economic interests and ensure fair treatment for its producers.
