Swaziland lifts maize import restriction

MBABANE – Road freight
transport will increase in
the final months of 2016 to
alleviate the food shortage
in Swaziland. Half of the
population will require food
aid by December, according
to the National Disaster
Management Agency
(NDMA). Imported food
aid will originate from
or pass through
South Africa en
route to
Swaziland.
Already border
post activity
has increased as
the country’s worst
drought in a generation
has decimated crop yields.
Government has lifted a
restriction of 15kg of maize
meal allowed per person to be
brought into the country. The
new quota is 50kg. Informal
traders moving the commodity
are proliferating at Swazi
border posts with South
Africa.
Heavy machinery will also
need importation by road to
mitigate the effects of the food
shortage. The Ministry of
Agriculture alerted parliament
that only 400 government
tractors were functioning in
the entire country. Subsistence
farming families who make up
two-thirds of the population
depend on subsidised rental
of government tractors to
plough their fields. Because
the machines are not available
locally, importation from
South Africa is the only
option.
Meat and dairy imports
from South Africa
are also likely to rise.
The drought has
killed 87 000 head
of cattle. Some of the
cows supplied some of
Swaziland’s dairy needs or
would have been sold for
slaughter at Swaziland
Meat Industries (SMI) at
Matsapha. While SMI can
import cattle and beef from
South Africa, the firm will
be unable to export sufficient
meat to fill its trade quota
with EU customers. Swaziland
enjoys favourable trade deals
with overseas buyers but these
stipulate that only beef of
Swazi origin may be sold to
them.