Import ban triggers vegetable price hikes, shortages

There has been a shortage of potatoes and tomatoes since the import ban last year
There has been a shortage of potatoes and tomatoes since the import ban last year

The government’s decision to ban a number of imported solanaceous crops such as tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and beetroot has triggered price increases and a shortage of the commodities.

Effected last December through the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security, the ban prohibits the importation of tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, bell peppers, melon pear and beetroot.

This came after a highly destructive insect pest known as tomato leaf miner or tuta absoluta was detected in the Bobirwa, Boteti, Chobe, North East, and North West areas.

Editor's Comment
BPF should get house in order

Speaker of the National Assembly, Dithapelo Keorapetse, has this week rightly washed his hands of the mess, refusing to wade into a party squabble that has no clear leadership and no single version of the truth.When a single party sends six different letters to the Speaker’s office, each claiming to be the authoritative voice, it is not just confusion, but an embarrassment.Keorapetse is correct to insist on institutional boundaries. Parliament...

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