Botswana has removed its restriction on fresh vegetable imports from South Africa, addressing challenges in meeting local demand through domestic production alone. The ban, initially implemented in 2022, was lifted in two stages: the first in December of the previous year and the second at the beginning of April. According to Dipepeneneng Serage, a deputy ...

Ban lifted on South Africa export of vegetables to Botswana Western Cape MEC for Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism, Dr Ivan Meyer, has welcomed the lifting of the ban on vegetable exports to Botswana. This is after the previous administration of Botswana, led by President Mokgweetsi Masisi, imposed a ban on South African produce to support domestic farmers and ...

In a hot and sunny November afternoon in temperatures reaching 30C, Siphiwe Sithole is busy sorting a customer’s order of bambara beans on her farm in Laezonia, South Africa. Sithole’s farm is about 15 kilometres from the administrative capital Pretoria. It specialises in “indigenous” South African crops – a catch-all term referring both to native ...

MONOPOLY919 // Shutterstock Today, Botswana is just one example of the many African countries that have set out detailed plans for their economic future centered around the implementation of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies and their potential to improve agricultural yields and open up new industries to move value chains onto the continent. Partnering with ...

In recent years, Namibia and Botswana have implemented bans on the import of vegetables and citrus from South Africa. This decision was made to protect domestic producers from South African competition, aiming for self-sufficiency in these nations. Both countries, along with South Africa, are part of the Southern African Customs Union, which promotes free trade ...

John Steenhuisen, South Africa’s Agriculture Minister, announced plans to engage with Botswana and Namibia to discuss the citrus import ban and seek a resolution. Namibia’s restriction spans from 2021 to 2025, while Botswana’s ban extends from June to August, aiming to bolster local agriculture. During the Agri Limpopo congress in Modimolle, Limpopo, Steenhuisen expressed his ...

The South African government has urgently requested a meeting with Botswana officials following the extension of a ban on fresh produce imports from South Africa until 2025. The ban, initially implemented in 2022 to support Botswana’s local agriculture sector by reducing reliance on imports, has been extended, and additional items have been added to the ...

Botswana’s Minister of Agriculture Fidelis Molao speaks at the 8th All Africa Conference on Animal Agriculture in Gaborone, Botswana, on Sept. 26, 2023. African countries cannot ignore the adoption of new technologies in research and development, said Molao, who stressed the importance of establishing strategic collaborations aimed at enhancing resilience and increasing agricultural productivity. (Photo ...

Julius Atlhopheng (L), Chief Executive Officer of Botswana’s National Agricultural Research and Development Institute, shakes hands with African Agriculture PTY LTD (AA) Managing Director Miles Nan after signing a Memorandum of Understanding in Gaborone, Botswana, on June 19, 2023. Botswana’s National Agricultural Research and Development Institute (NARDI) and African Agriculture PTY LTD (AA), an agricultural ...