Western Cape MEC for Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism, Ivan Meyer, has welcomed the lifting of the ban on vegetable exports to Botswana.
This comes after the previous administration of Botswana, led by President Mokgweetsi Masisi, imposed a ban on South African produce to support domestic farmers and reduce reliance on imports, which has since been lifted by President Duma Boko.
Meyer said he believed the move would encourage increased trade among Southern African Customs Union members, who view the African Continental Free Trade Area as a critical tool for developing regional value chains and enhancing exports.
According to Meyer, Botswana’s gradual lifting of vegetable imports would occur in two phases.
Phase 1, which began in December 2024, includes vegetables such as turmeric, patty pan, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, green peas, sweet corn, broccoli, cauliflower, gem squash, baby marrow, green bean, sweet melon, mushroom, calabash, cantaloup and eggplant.
Phase 2 is expected to start on 1 April and will see easing of restrictions on beetroot, butternut, cabbage, carrot, garlic, ginger, green melon, herbs, lettuce, onion, potato, sweet pepper, tomato and watermelon.
Meyer said the Western Cape had accounted for 37% (or R3.3 million) of South Africa’s vegetable exports to Botswana in the fourth quarter of 2024.
Regarding the contribution to Phase 1 nationally, he said the provincial share had steadily increased during the period under review, reaching 63% in the third quarter of 2024 and dropping to 55% in the last quarter of the year.
“It is expected that, with the lifting of import restrictions for vegetables listed in Phase 2, there will be an improvement in South African exports to Botswana, including those from the Western Cape.”
Meyer encouraged fair trade between SADC partners, saying the lifting of restrictions was a move in the right direction.
“Our trade relations with our regional partners are mutually beneficial.”
Meanwhile, he said an improvement in exports to Botswana took the province closer to the Western Cape Government’s Growth for Jobs plan, which aimed to triple the value of the province’s exports of goods and services, including tourism, to R450 billion by 2035. – SAnews.gov.za
