In a statement on Tuesday, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security announced that the government had invoked the Control of Goods, Prices and Other Charges Act to impose restrictions on imports of “butternuts, cocktail tomatoes, tomatoes, onions, green mealies and chillies.”
Late last year, the Botswana government banned the importation of green pepper, watermelons, green maize, carrots and sweet potatoes.
Tuesday’s statement however revealed that beetroots and potatoes, whose imports were previously restricted, have been “opened temporarily for importation”.
The ban on imports is meant to protect Botswana farmers from cheap produce mostly from neighbouring South Africa.