Tanzania bans agricultural imports from Malawi and South Africa in retaliation for similar trade restrictions, citing protection of national business interests.

Tanzania has implemented a ban on the importation of agricultural products from Malawi and South Africa, citing retaliatory action against what it described as hostile trade practices from both nations. All three countries are members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), a regional economic bloc.

Tanzania’s agriculture minister, Hussein Bashe, stated in a video shared on his X account late Wednesday that the country had given Malawi and South Africa until Wednesday to lift their respective bans on Tanzanian agricultural imports. However, since neither country complied, Tanzania decided to enforce its own restrictions.

According to Bashe, Malawi had recently placed a ban on several Tanzanian products, including maize flour, rice, ginger, and bananas. Similarly, South Africa had barred the importation of bananas originating from Tanzania’s port city, Dar es Salaam.

In his announcement, Bashe declared that effective immediately, Tanzania would not permit any agricultural imports from South Africa, and that a similar embargo would be applied to Malawi. He emphasized that despite the bans, discussions aimed at resolving the trade dispute would continue with both nations.

Additionally, Bashe revealed that Tanzania would begin restricting the transit of agricultural products from other countries through its territory to land-locked Malawi. The export of Tanzanian-produced fertilizer to Malawi would also be halted.

Bashe defended the measures as necessary to safeguard Tanzania’s trade interests, stating, “We are taking this measure to protect our business. This is business, and we should all respect each other.”