Southern Africa: Non-tariff trade barriers springing up

Despite regional initiatives that even include the eventual possibility of a 'Cape-to-Cairo' free trade area, protectionist impulses have caused non-tariff barriers to spring up across Southern Africa. Zambian trade consultant John Kasanga cites countless examples of non-tariff barriers across the region: 'Zambia protects its sugar industry from cheaper imports from Zimbabwe by demanding that all imported sugar be fortified with vitamin A. Zimbabwe, in turn, has blocked Zambian strawberries by stipulating that any shipment of this fragile fresh produce must be at least a massive one ton.'