APA-Pretoria (South Africa) South Africa is seeking a meeting with Botswana to discuss Gaborone’s decision to extend a two-year ban on fresh produce imports from Pretoria until 2025.
Botswana’s agriculture ministry announced early this week that it would extend and expand restrictions on imports of some fresh produce as it tried to become self-sufficient in food and cut its import bill.
The ban on imports of tomatoes, potatoes, onions and other farm produce, which was initially imposed in January and was due to run until 31 December 2023, would now run until the end of 2025.
The move has angered authorities in neighbouring South Africa, Agriculture Minister Thoko Didiza saying Botswana’s decision to extend the ban “does not allow for better trade relations between the two countries.”
Didiza told state broadcaster South African Broadcasting Corporation that she was seeking an urgent meeting with her counterpart in Gaborone to discuss the decision.
“We are working now with Botswana Embassy to really seek this meeting so that we can have a full appreciation as to how are they seeing these measures they are putting,” Didiza said.
She said Botswana’s decision runs contrary to the spirit of the African Continental Free Trade Area that aims to promote free trade among nations.
JN/APA