Ban on vegetable import here to stay

Govt considers adding more products to the import ban list Agriculture self- sufficiency key to tackling food insecurity - EU & UN report

The ban on vegetable imports has come with its own set of challenges that include vegetable shortages, price- fixing due to smuggling, and nutrient deficit among consumers as they do not have access to key vegetables which negatively affects their diet.

However, Government has maintained that these are ‘ teething’ problems that come with any transition, and consumers and farming stakeholders would have to weather the storm because Government will not back down on its decision to ban the import of vegetables therefore stakeholders will have to find ways to adopt the new system.

Instead, Government is actually considering increasing the scope of products on its ban list over the next two years, Assistant Minister of Agriculture Fidelis Molao said at the HATAB Tourism Conference held in Kasane.

He emphasised that “Botswana is concerned with the cost of the import bill which stands at a little over P9 million, funds which could be allocated to other developments and resources aimed at improving the lives of Batswana.”

He said it would be illogical to withdraw the ban on account of a few challenges and hiccups, indicating that change always comes with resistance but the benefits of this ban have far- reaching positive benefits in the long- term. “It is important to improve the local market. Local farmers made progress during the Covid19 pandemic and it’s time to keep growing this new market and we cannot turn back now.”

During the Covid19 pandemic, supply chains were severely affected, which saw many people struggling to get their nutrient proportion of vegetables as part of their daily dietary requirement, and Government intervened by tapping into the pool of agricultural potential by buying vegetables from locals as part of the food basket. Local chain stores and supermarkets were also forced to “buy local” and this subsequently led to sealed contracts. Nowadays big supermarket chains such as Shoprite, Sefalana, Choppies, and Square Mart get supplies of vegetable produce from local farmers.

The recurring challenge is the quality of the local produce, which consumers have complained is poor, calling for strict quality assurance models and improvement on the quality of the produce.

However, a farmer Mogomotsi Magano, argued that it is because it is fresh and no pesticides are used, and sometimes farmers bypass quality fertilisers because they cannot afford them.

“Fresh produce has a shorter shelf life because it is meant to be consumed immediately. You cannot buy tomatoes and keep them for a week or two. It’s recommended to buy vegetables twice a week - think more about the health benefit of consuming a fresh product unlike eating a vegetable that travelled across the border and took three to four days from the farm to your plate”.

Another challenge that local farmers have is the high cost of fertilisers. The government has offered subsidies but another problem is affordability and access. This shows that the agricultural value chain has opportunities that locals can take advantage of. At this juncture, Botswana cannot afford to derail its efforts toward ensuring self- sufficiency in agricultural production because of global impacts. Things have changed and life is getting tougher, and will not go back to how it used to be anytime soon. Conflict, extreme weather, and economic shock increased the number of people suffering from lack of food, and the UkraineRussia crisis could worsen the situation if it is not arrested soon.

The Global Network against Food Crisis ( GNAFC) report set up by the United Nations ( UN) and European Union ( EU) indicates that the number of people facing acute food insecurity and requiring urgent life- saving food assistance had doubled in the past six years since 2016. More than 40 million people are faced with hunger and 193 million are faced with food insecurity.