Ban on the import of SA maize lifted

Great confusion reigned in agricultural circles until the agriculture ministry officially lifted the ban yesterday on the import of maize, maize products, palm trees and related products from South Africa.This follows the detection of maize goss’s bacterial wilt in the South African provinces of Free State, Mpumalanga and North West, as well as the presence of bud rot disease in palm products. As a result, import permits were revoked last week."Research conducted and ongoing monitoring have revealed that Goss’s bacterial wilt primarily affects maize seed rather than grain. Measures related to bud rot disease in palm products will be adjusted accordingly," the official notice stated.Despite the lifting of the ban, the ministry warned of the need to remain vigilant against the spread of these plant diseases.Over the weekend, claims emerged that the ban had already been lifted, but no official documentation had been issued by the agriculture ministry to stakeholders.Stranded at the borderBotswana had similar restrictions in place but has since also reopened its borders for the affected crops and products.Meanwhile, trucks were left stranded at Namibian border posts, with reports that some were allowed to pass while others were not."The Agricultural Marketing and Trade Agency (Amta) trucks were permitted to cross, but those belonging to Namib Mills and mine were not allowed through the Buitepos border post," said Winfried Metzger, owner of the private Musese mill in the Kavango West Region, in an interview with Network Media Hub (NMH) yesterday.He imports around 1 000 tonnes of maize each month and supplies maize meal to shops in the northern regions, as well as crushed maize for animal feed."I source my maize from the North West province, and North West’s maize is clean," he said.Drikus Delport, technical manager at Feedmaster Namibia, confirmed that their trucks were able to pass through the Ariamsvlei border post. However, it appears that issues at the Buitepos border post stemmed from the lack of official documentation from Namibian authorities.Long-term risks loom"Namib Mills relies on 60% shipping imports and 40% road transport from South Africa. A ship recently offloaded 10 000 tonnes of white maize from the US at the Walvis Bay port," Delport said. Sources in the crop farming industry confirmed over the weekend that the import ban has no immediate negative impact, as there is sufficient maize in silos. However, concerns are growing about long-term effects, particularly price increases in essential products like animal feed and maize meal.A long-term ban could significantly affect pig and poultry producers. Farmers are deeply concerned, with one recently warning, before the ban was lifted: "Some pig farms will run out of maize tomorrow, poultry farms by the end of the week and most millers within the next seven days".He warned that this poses a major risk to industries that have taken years to establish and threatens food security, as most households rely on maize meal as a staple food."Scientific evidence clearly shows that maize does not pose a real risk of spreading the disease. The current maize imports are from last season’s harvest."Goss’s bacterial wilt, first detected in Nebraska, USA, in 1969, has since spread to certain other states and affects crops such as maize, sorghum, sugarcane and various grasses and weeds, among others. Bud rot disease in palm species impacts coconuts, cocoa, cycads and papayas.

Ban on the import of SA maize lifted

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Namibian Sun 2025-03-12

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Ban on the import of SA maize lifted

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Namibian Sun 2025-03-12

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