I probably should not be focusing too much on vegetables; a lot is happening in the world. Still, I want to underscore that we must form greater collaboration in the Southern Africa region’s agricultural community to expand production and address the poverty issues.
We cannot afford to struggle with trade friction as we recently saw Botswana and Namibia blocking vegetables and fruit imports from South Africa. Thankfully, Botswana has corrected this policy mistake and is gradually removing the restrictions.
And yes, no one disputes that both Namibia and Botswana should work to develop their domestic agricultural production where production conditions permit.
My issue has been the unfair complete ban or restrictions on vegetables and citrus exports from South Africa to both countries. Consumers in both countries have also struggled with higher prices due to supply constraints. The economist Ndaba Gaolathe, who currently serves as Botswana’s Vice President and Finance Minister, recently stated that:
“Anything that requires tariffs to sustain it, even in the short term, is bad economics. What is happening now is that food and vegetables have become more expensive in Botswana. Low-income groups — people who are already struggling — are spending a larger percentage of their income on food.”
What Gaolathe raises here is very important and partly at the core of the points I raised elsewhere, highlighting that with the removal of the restrictions, the people of Botswana will now have access to better-priced and high-quality vegetables from South Africa.
In November 2024, South Africa’s vegetables were deflated (-2,6%). Meanwhile, in Botswana, vegetable price inflation was still double digits. This speaks to the difficulty the households had to ensure and the potential benefits of affordable prices in the coming months.
I hope Namibia follows the same approach soon. The current restrictions present similar pressures in Namibia, as was the case in Botswana, and they are also not in the spirit of regional agricultural development.
Lifting the ban does not mean these countries have given up on their domestic production efforts. They will keep focusing on such efforts while easing near-term pressures on consumers. Gaolathe, speaking about his country’s challenges, noted that:
Gaolathe also saw the need for research and development as central to booting Botswana’s vegetable production. I fully support this view and would add that their production efforts will require collaboration and clear communication about their production intentions, especially with South Africa, a major regional agricultural producer. South Africa will share technology and know-how to boost production there (as in other commodities). The coordination could be at the organized agriculture level and government.
Our energy must be channelled towards growing Southern Africa’s agriculture and food security, and not in trade friction within a free trade area, the Southern African Customs Union (SACU).
Another issue that is appropriate to highlight is how important the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region is for South Africa’s agricultural exports. We enjoy tariff-free access to various region countries, supporting South Africa’s agricultural growth. And yes, South Africa’s agricultural growth has dwarfed that of neighbouring countries, partly contributing to some countries’ current trade friction and discontent.
Still, we need a robust agricultural sector in South Africa to stabilise food security in the entire Southern Africa region. This sector also plays a key role in supporting development in other countries. The benefits could be much more evident when there is a focused regional agricultural development view with a buy-in of all key countries’ agricultural ministers.
Equally, South Africa must approach every friction in the region with maturity and understanding that there is a lot of economic value at hand. For example, South Africa exported US$13,2 Billion of agricultural products in 2023. About 40% of this is to the African continent.
However, these exports to Africa are concentrated in Southern Africa. Roughly 80 cents in every dollar of South Africa’s agricultural exports to Africa is from the Southern Africa region. With an economic value like this, we cannot discuss blocking trade from our neighbours. We must seek an understanding of their challenges and work collaboratively to resolve them – a confrontational approach would be unhelpful.
This is why stability and peace in the Southern Africa region are key for South Africa’s agriculture. Beyond trade restrictions, the current unrest in Mozambique is an example of such challenges that the region should work to resolve speedily.
There are human rights and political matters that others have discussed, but the point I want to highlight is that these are risks to South Africa’s agricultural prosperity.
The stability in the region is essential for the people and businesses, including the farming sector of South Africa, which benefits immensely from exports.
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