Tanzania lifts ban on agriculture imports from South Africa, Malawi

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania

Tanzania has lifted a ban on imports of agricultural produce from Malawi and South Africa, it said late on Friday, days after imposing it in retaliation for similar measures imposed by the two southern African nations.

Tanzania Plant Health and Pesticides Authority (TPHPA)'s director general, Joseph Ndunguru, said that Tanzania was lifting the ban effective immediately to allow for "a diplomatic ministerial discussion."

The two countries had reached out separately seeking to resolve the trade dispute through dialogue, he said.

On Wednesday Tanzania's ministry of agriculture banned imports of all agricultural produce from Malawi and South Africa and also banned exports to Malawi of Tanzanian fertilizer, which Malawi relies on. The ban on fertilizer exports to Malawi has now also been lifted.

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The three countries all belong to a regional economic bloc, the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

South Africa's Minister for International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola welcomed Tanzania's move to lift the ban, saying it underscored the strong relations between both nations.

"This outcome demonstrates that the diplomatic route remains the most effective path to resolving challenges... cooperation and mutual understanding can unlock shared opportunities," he was quoted as saying in a statement.

Malawi had recently banned imports of Tanzanian agricultural commodities like maize flour, rice, ginger, and bananas, among other products, while South Africa has also stopped imports of bananas shipped by Tanzania.