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Botswana must not extend bans on agricultural and food imports
The leadership of the Bank of Botswana, including Governor Lesego Moseki, is calling on the country to accelerate its efforts in food import substitution, among other consumer goods, according to an article in The Botswana Gazette this morning. This is an understandable call, and something that we embarked on in South Africa some years ago in soybeans and other products.
I think the best approach will be through leaning on some farm technologies that South African agribusinesses can offer. In fact, the Citrus Growers Association already shares the cultivars with the region to accelerate production across Southern Africa – shared prosperity. This can be replicated for various farming inputs to boost Botswana’s agricultural production.
What we should avoid is what Botswana has been following: the regular blockages of vegetable and fruit imports from South Africa. The restriction on agricultural product imports runs counter to the spirit of the Southern African Customs Union and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
So, indeed, the Bank of Botswana is raising an important issue of import substitution in food, but the policy response to achieve this will need to be carefully crafted to avoid disrupting regional food supplies and triggering even domestic inflation in Botswana.
-Wandile Sihlobo is the Chief Economist of the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz)
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