Dar es Salaam — Tanzania has banned imports of agricultural products from SA and Malawi, saying the move was in retaliation for similar trade measures from both countries.
All three countries are members of Sadc.
Tanzania had demanded that both countries rescind bans on imports of agricultural goods from Tanzania by Wednesday, but they had not done so, agriculture minister Hussein Bashe said in a video posted on his X account late on Wednesday.
Malawi recently banned imports of Tanzanian commodities including maize meal, rice, ginger and bananas, while SA has barred bananas shipped by Dar es Salaam.
“I would like to officially announce that from this night ... we won’t allow any agricultural products from SA in our country,” Bashe said. A similar ban was being imposed on Malawi, he said.
Talks to resolve the trade impasse would continue with both countries, Bashe added.
Tanzania will start prohibiting the transit of agricultural goods from other countries through its territory to landlocked Malawi, and will also ban the export of Tanzanian fertiliser to Malawi, he said.
“We are taking this measure to protect our business. This is business, and we should all respect each other,” Bashe said.
Reuters
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