The Government of Tanzania has issued a strong warning to Malawi over what it describes as unfair trade restrictions, following reports that Malawi has blocked the entry of several Tanzanian agricultural products, including flour, rice, ginger, bananas, and maize.
In an official statement released on Wednesday, Tanzania’s Minister of Agriculture, Hussein Bashe, condemned the move, saying it was negatively affecting Tanzanian traders and contravening the spirit of regional economic cooperation.
“We have received information that the Government of Malawi has blocked the entry of agricultural produce from Tanzania,” Bashe said. “This decision has directly disrupted the operations of our traders who rely on Malawi as a key export market.”
Bashe explained that the government had previously faced similar challenges in trying to access other regional markets, including South Africa, which for years blocked Tanzanian bananas and avocados.
“For five years, we tried to access the banana market in South Africa with no success. It took us over a decade to break into the avocado market,” said Bashe. “We cannot allow our farmers and traders to continue suffering due to trade injustices.”
Bashe announced a set of retaliatory measures to be implemented if Malawi and South Africa fail to lift the restrictions by next Wednesday. The measures include:
A total ban on the importation of all agricultural products from Malawi and South Africa into Tanzania.
A prohibition on Malawian and South African agricultural goods passing through Tanzanian borders en route to the Port of Dar es Salaam or any third country.
Suspension of fertilizer exports to Malawi as part of a broader effort to safeguard Tanzania’s farming sector.
“All traders with goods destined for Malawi are advised to immediately stop loading these products until further notice,” the minister warned.
Bashe also revealed that his office had made multiple attempts to reach Malawi’s Minister of Agriculture to resolve the issue diplomatically but without success.
“I have tried various means to communicate with my Malawian counterpart, but there has been no official response,” he said. “These measures are not taken lightly. They are intended to protect the dignity of our nation, the economy of our farmers, and ensure fairness in regional trade.”
The situation marks a significant escalation in trade tensions between the two neighbouring countries, raising concerns about the future of regional integration under the Southern African Development Community (SADC) framework.
Efforts to obtain a comment from the Malawian government on the matter were unsuccessful by press time.
