Tanzania Lifts Ban on Agricultural Imports from Malawi, South Africa

Tanzania has lifted its recently imposed ban on agricultural imports from Malawi and South Africa to allow diplomatic talks aimed at resolving the dispute. The announcement came late on Friday through Joseph Ndunguru, director general of the Tanzania Plant Health and Pesticides Authority (TPHPA).

Earlier in the week, Tanzania’s Ministry of Agriculture had banned the import of all agricultural produce from Malawi and South Africa. It had also halted the export of Tanzanian fertiliser to Malawi, which heavily relies on these supplies. The move was in retaliation for similar trade restrictions imposed by the two southern African nations.

Agriculture Minister Hussein Bashe said Tanzania had demanded that Malawi and South Africa lift their bans on Tanzanian agricultural goods by Wednesday. However, when that did not happen, Tanzania announced a full ban on South African and Malawian agricultural products entering its market. In a video posted on his X account, Bashe said the country would also prohibit the transit of agricultural goods through Tanzania to Malawi and halt fertiliser exports.

Despite the firm stance earlier in the week, Tanzania has now agreed to lift the restrictions to facilitate diplomatic discussions. Ndunguru explained that both South Africa and Malawi had reached out separately, expressing their willingness to resolve the trade disagreements through dialogue. As a result, the ban was removed immediately to create room for talks at the ministerial level.

The trade tensions come even though Tanzania, Malawi, and South Africa are all members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), a regional economic bloc aimed at promoting trade and cooperation.

South Africa’s Minister for International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, welcomed Tanzania’s decision to lift the ban. He said the move reflected the strength of the relationship between the two countries and emphasized that diplomacy remains the best way to solve such challenges.

Meanwhile, Malawi had recently restricted imports of Tanzanian products like maize flour, rice, ginger, and bananas, while South Africa had blocked Tanzanian banana shipments. With talks now underway, it remains to be seen how quickly the trade ties between the three nations will normalize.

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