TANZANIA has halted all agricultural imports from Malawi and South Africa in a dramatic escalation of regional trade tensions, leaving lorries stalled at the border and exposing deep fractures in southern Africa’s economic ties.
At the usually busy Kasumulu crossing, truckers idled as Tanzanian authorities enforced a midnight ban on imports of produce in response to longstanding trade restrictions placed on Tanzanian goods by both neighbouring countries.
‘We are taking this step to protect our business interests. In business, we must all respect each other,’ said Agriculture Minister Hussein Bashe on Wednesday, confirming the embargo.
The fallout is already evident, with landlocked Malawi facing the possibility of having to reroute key exports like sugar and soybeans through more costly Mozambican ports after losing access to Tanzania’s port of Dar es Salaam.
Truckloads rot as tensions flare
The border was notably quiet Thursday morning, with only a handful of trucks moving through. On the Malawian side, drivers of produce trucks—usually carrying bananas, maize, and tomatoes—were left scrambling.
‘The drivers are now trying to find alternative products to transport. It’s been very difficult for them,’ said local trader Happy Zulu to the BBC.
Earlier this week, Bashe shared a video showing rotting bananas stuck at the border. In another case, tonnes of tomatoes spoiled after being denied entry into Malawi—evidence, Bashe said, of unfair trade practices against Tanzanian exporters.
Malawi introduced its own restrictions last month, banning imports of flour, ginger, rice, and bananas in a move it called temporary and protective of local farmers. ‘It is a strategic move to create an environment where local businesses can thrive,’ Trade Minister Vitumbiko Mumba said in March.
AfCFTA ideals under pressure
Tanzania’s retaliation also hits South Africa, which has banned Tanzanian bananas for years. ‘No Tanzanian will die from a lack of South African grapes or apples,’ Bashe remarked, insisting the move would not jeopardise food security but was about defending Tanzanian interests.
The escalation comes as Africa continues its push toward deeper continental integration through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), now in its fourth year. The row threatens to undermine its goals of open, tariff-free movement of goods.
While Tanzania can redirect exports to other markets such as Kenya or Namibia, Malawi—entirely landlocked—is in a tighter bind. Losing Tanzanian transit routes may severely disrupt its trade flows.
All three countries involved are members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and diplomatic channels remain open. Bashe said negotiations were ongoing, but neither South Africa nor Malawi had issued official responses to Tanzania’s ban by Thursday afternoon.
‘Tanzania will not continue to allow unequal market access to persist at the expense of its people,’ Bashe said.
