Veggie import ban reaches moment of truth

Wednesday, February 15, 2023 | 2720 Views |

Route to market: Many farmers opt to sell their horticulture straight to the streets, as retailers impose prices and difficult conditions

Pressure from South African farmers as well as conditions set by the Southern African Customs Union and the World Trade Organisation suggest the horticultural import ban will likely end next January as scheduled. The impact of the two-year intervention is however still unclear, reports Staff Writer, MBONGENI MGUNI

Authorities at the Ministry of Agriculture are having a difficult time accepting the statistics they are seeing about the progress farmers have made since the ban on certain vegetables began last January.

According to the figures, the total number of horticultural farmers in the country have increased by 300 to 1,600 since the ban took effect in January 2022, while production has increased by 11,000 tonnes.

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