Botswana has lifted its ban on fresh vegetable imports from South Africa after it struggled to meet local demand solely from domestic production. (Rogan Ward)
Botswana has lifted its ban on fresh vegetable imports from South Africa after it struggled to meet local demand solely from domestic production.
The ban, imposed in 2022, was lifted in two phases — the first one in December last year, and the second one at the start of April this year.
Confirming the latest move, Dipepeneneng Serage, a deputy director-general in South Africa’s department of agriculture, said on Wednesday that trade between the two countries was open and relations had improved since the election last year of Botswana’s new president, Duma Boko.
The administration of Boko’s predecessor, Mokgweetsi Masisi, had argued that the ban on South Africa’s agricultural produce was meant to support Botswana’s farmers by giving them better access to the local market.
“But I think as an instrument, it was really ineffective … You can limit [imports] and see the extent to which the farmers are responding to the new opportunities, but you don’t start with a ban and hope to start the new supply chain from the ground,” said Mmatlou Kalaba, a senior analyst at the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy.
“It was always going to lead to a situation like this.”
In December, restrictions on turmeric, patty pans, pumpkin, green peas, mushrooms and eggplants were lifted. Effective this month, South Africa can now also export beetroot, butternut, cabbage, carrot, garlic, ginger, green melons, herbs, lettuce, onions, potatoes, sweet pepper, tomato and watermelons to Botswana.
National Agricultural Marketing Council economist Thabile Nkunjane said there had been noticeable improvements since the partial lifting of the ban in December.
“We already saw that there was an increase in our exports to that country, and rational or the explanation of that is because Botswana didn’t have enough for vegetables. That’s the reality of it,” he said.
“Now the entire removal of these bans is going to be very beneficial for South African farmers, particularly the farmers that are in North West, Limpopo and Gauteng. It is really a positive step towards expanding even further.”
The lifting of the ban presents an opportunity for the Southern African Customs Union (Sacu) — which includes Botswana, Lesotho, eSwatini, Namibia and South Africa — to work towards better collaboration and removing trade distortions, said Wandile Sihlobo, the chief economist at the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz).
“While South Africa is a main exporter now, it is useful that we also assist Botswana to increasingly boost their domestic production where conditions permit,” he said.
“South Africa has the know-how and technology to share with farmers in Botswana in this journey. The goal should be to boost regional agricultural output.”
In 2024, the Sacu region accounted for about 19% of South Africa’s agricultural exports, which was the same value of the country’s farm exports to the European Union, according to Agbiz. Over the past five years, 11% of South Africa’s agricultural imports were from the Sacu region.
“The disparity in trade is partly because of the lack of production volume from some of the Sacu countries that are not as naturally endowed as South Africa. That said, we believe that restrictive policies are not the best way for Sacu countries to lift production,” Sihlobo said.
Namibia’s ban on agricultural imports from South Africa is still in effect, but Nkunjane said this had not created a huge dent because South Africa was able to diversify to other markets.
“We are beginning to see a diversification of what we were sending to Botswana and Namibia — and sending it to other countries — which is a positive for the country. That’s why we always talk about how important it is to diversify the country’s export market,” he said.
The Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy’s Kabala said the lifting of the Botswana ban was some consolation after United States President Donald Trump announced a 31% tariff on all imports from South Africa, with the agriculture sector likely to be among the hardest-hit.
“Anything that actually reduces that kind of stress is welcome. I would say, from the trade perspective, and this is both globally, in our region and for South Africa, there are many uncertainties that are yet to come,” Kabala said.