“My bananas have been seized and destroyed.”

Traders calculate their losses as Tanzania is writing down people trying to overcome a ban on the neighboring Malawi in the row of escalating regional trade.

On Friday, BBC’s businesswomen told that some of his fellow merchants were arrested on the second day of the ban imposed by Tanzania on all agricultural imports from Malawi and South Africa.

“We were seized and destroyed by Mozati. At the present time, our business brought losses, and we have only a little money,” said Gistina Channa, a merchant in Carongo, about 50 km from the border with Tanzania.

The diplomatic efforts to address the conflict failed, but the Minister of Agriculture in Tanzania said that the new talks are continuing.

Last month, Malawi prevented imports of flour, rice, ginger, banana and corn from Tanzania and other countries, saying that this was to protect local producers.

South Africa has banned bananas from Tanzania.

On Thursday, the Minister of Agriculture in Tanzania, Hussein Bash, said that the commercial restrictions of these two countries “directly influenced” merchants from his country and described the commercial barrier as “unfair and harmful.”

Bash announced an immediate ban on all agricultural imports from the two countries, to “protect our commercial interests”.

Commercial flows were greatly affected in Kasumulu – the official border crossing between Tanzania and Malawi.

When the BBC visited the town of Caronga Malay, the merchants – most of whom are women – said they are still vibrating by watching tons of their products that slowly rot, then they are finally thrown after being deprived of entering Tanzania.

John said: “The losses that I incurred are great because I cannot buy anything anymore, and I didn’t even know how I would feed my children,” John said.

But Tanzanian merchants were also injured.

On Saturday, the Minister of Agriculture in Tanzania Publishing a video on social media showing a pile of corrupt bananas In a truck that was prevented from entering Malawi.

A lot of tomatoes also spoiled on the border recently after the trucks from Tanzania were rejected from the entry of Malawi.

Malwood merchants, such as Jenva Makani, said they prefer agricultural commodities from Tanzania because they were easier and more affordable to their source across the border.

“Large Tanzanian products are very well selling on the market, and their prices are good. Our local products (Malawi) are more expensive. I don’t have what I do – I don’t have the ability to compete with those who have a large capital),” she told the BBC.

They said that the Tanzanian products, especially potatoes, were larger and better.

Others said that their clients preferred the Banana Banana over the Malawi, and described the former as a taste, while the latter was often spongy.

But since Thursday, the Mallawi authorities have become both on the border and in the nearby markets, increasingly strict – traders who have found it are often arrested with Tanzanian products.

Another merchant said: “When we bring goods from Tanzania, we returned back.

Some of them said they had no idea why they were banned while some wealthy businessmen were still allowed to transport goods across the border.

“They are targeting us who do not have much capital, while those who have large money still bring goods,” said Ms. Channa, who sells potatoes and bananas in the Caronga market.

After the campaign, some merchants resorted to selling their goods secretly, and they were publicly afraid to offer for fear of arrest.

“We only carry three or four clusters (from bananas), only to earn a livelihood for children,” said Evilina Mahasogongo, adding: “But our large shipments have been banned, so we do not have a job – we are dealing with our families.”

Crossing the noisy border in Kasumulu remained significantly quieter than usual with the drivers who saw relaxation in the shades of trees, while others played drafts or left in the back of their shock.

They refused to transfer them directly, but they made it clear that they were simply waiting for a word from their presidents for what to do after that.

On an ordinary day, more than 15 trucks loaded with agricultural products will cross the borders.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce at Malawi Patrick Potta told local media that they have not yet obtained the official communication on this issue.

“We hear (about) this social media. At an appropriate time, we will be attached,” he said.

Malawi has become an increasingly important market for Tanzanian commodities in recent years, as exports between 2018 and 2023, according to official Tanzanian personalities.

But Malawi is the non -coastal coastal, which relied on the impulsive ports of their exports such as tobacco, sugar and soybeans to the rest of the world, will have to redirect their goods.

It is not yet clear how difficult South Africa, which leads different fruits, including apples and grapes, to Tanzania, from the ban. The South African authorities have not yet attached.

The row comes at a time when Africa is supposed to move towards a larger free trade by creating a free trade zone on the continent, which started operating four years ago.

Additional reports by Wiklef Moya