By Nico van Burick
A claim has been circulating on social media that South Africa has banned the import of agricultural products from Tanzania and is now facing threats of countermeasures. In response to queries, the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development has said that it is investigating the issue.
The dispute arose after reports that Tanzania is threatening to suspend imports of South African products if it is unable to export bananas to South Africa.
Wandile Sihlobo, chief economist at Agbiz, points out that banana imports from Tanzania have been negligible in South Africa’s import basket over the past 20 years, suggesting that Tanzanian Minister of Agriculture Hussein Bashe overreacted with his ban on the entry of agricultural imports from South Africa.
Sihlobo says his own enquiries with the South African authorities found no evidence of a widespread ban on agricultural imports from Tanzania. In response to queries from African Farming, the department said the matter was still under investigation.
Sihlobo explains that to supplement local production, Mozambique is the largest supplier of bananas to South Africa, accounting for 74% of imports, valued at R894 million per year. Eswatini follows with 19%, the Seychelles with 4%, and Zimbabwe with 2%.
“It is unclear whether the low volume of banana imports from Tanzania is due to phytosanitary measures or poor marketing. I suspect it is the latter, as phytosanitary issues can usually be resolved through cooperation,” he says.
A Tanzanian ban on South African products could create complications, Sihlobo says, as both countries are members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Free Trade Area. “Any ban by a member country would need to be scientifically justified and only temporary,” he notes.
Tanzania accounts for only about 1% of South Africa’s agricultural exports, valued at about R1,39 billion. Meanwhile, South Africa is Tanzania’s 18th-largest agricultural market, importing agricultural products worth R2,4 billion in 2023. These imports include tobacco, tea, nuts, coffee and ginger – but not bananas.
Also read:
