Seithati Mots’oeneng
THE government has banned the importation of tomatoes and apples to create a market for local farmers whose produce is believed to be enough to sustain local demand.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Thabo Mofosi, this week announced a two months suspension of the importation of apples and tomatoes from Tuesday this week till end of March 2024.
Addressing the media in Maseru on Monday, he said the initiative was meant to offer Basotho farmers who have “outdone themselves in tomato and apple production” an opportunity to serve the local market without the interruption from imports.
More often than not, he said Basotho produce ended up rotting due to the absence of a viable local market. This was caused by the preference of foreign products, hence the decision to temporarily ban the imports.
“My ministry has taken a decision to halt these imports as a result of the high production of these two commodities in the country,” said Mr Mofosi.
According to a study by the Ministry of Agriculture, Lesotho has managed to produce over 490 000 boxes of tomatoes.
“As the ministry we have mandated ourselves to find markets for Basotho’s farm produce to avoid huge losses in farming and what better way to do that than opening our markets for Basotho?”
The minister said they were aware of Basotho’s tendencies to ballon prices when given a monopoly. His ministry had thus put together a team which will do weekly assessment of prices to avoid such.
Mr Mofosi emphasized their aim was to help every entrepreneur develop in business. If the demand for the local produce exceeded the supply during the ban period, the government would have to lift the ban.
For his part, Lesotho National Farmers Union (LENAFU) chairperson, Daniel Chakela, said the government’s gesture would motivate the farmers to produce more.
“This is for the benefit of us as farmers to get a chance to sell our products without any external competition. The closure of borders shall help the farmers reduce losses….It is no secret that Lesotho does not have warehouses that keep fruits and vegetables fresh for long,” Mr Chakela said.
