A growing trade dispute between Malawi and Tanzania has left traders on both sides of the border suffering heavy losses, as agricultural goods are seized, destroyed, or left to rot at crossing points.

The row escalated on Thursday after Tanzania banned all agricultural imports from Malawi and South Africa, in retaliation for what it called unfair trade restrictions.

“My bananas were seized and destroyed. Right now, our business has brought losses, and we only have a little money left,” said Jestina Chanya, a trader from Karonga, about 50km (30 miles) from the Tanzanian border.

Other businesswomen told the BBC that fellow traders had been arrested as they tried to move goods across the border, following the ban that Tanzania imposed on Thursday.

Diplomatic efforts to end the dispute have so far failed, though Tanzania’s Agriculture Minister Hussein Bashe said new talks were underway.

Last month, Malawi had blocked imports of flour, rice, ginger, bananas, and maize from Tanzania and other countries, saying the measure was necessary to protect its local producers.

South Africa, meanwhile, has long prohibited bananas from Tanzania from entering its market.

Minister Bashe said that Malawi’s and South Africa’s trade restrictions had “directly affected” Tanzanian traders, describing the barriers as “unfair and harmful.”

Announcing the retaliatory ban, he said it was needed “to protect our business interests.”

At the Kasumulu border crossing between the two countries, trade has nearly ground to a halt.

When the BBC visited Karonga on the Malawian side, traders, most of them women, described the heartbreaking sight of tonnes of produce slowly rotting after being blocked from entering Tanzania.

“The losses I have incurred are big because I can’t go buy anything any more, and I don’t even know how I will feed my children,” said June Mwamwaja, another Malawian trader.

Tanzanian traders are also feeling the sting.

Minister Bashe posted a video showing rotten bananas piled in a truck that had been denied entry into Malawi.

Other reports said tonnes of tomatoes were recently spoiled after being held at the border.

Malawian trader Jeniffa Mshani said Tanzanian goods were her preferred choice because they were cheaper and of better quality.

“Tanzanian products are big and sell very well in the market, and their prices are good. Our local [Malawi] products are more expensive. I have nothing to do, I don’t have the capacity to compete with those [who have big capital]. I just can’t,” she said.

Other traders said Tanzanian plantains were tastier than Malawian ones, which they described as often spongy.

But since Thursday, Malawian authorities have tightened enforcement at border crossings and markets, arresting traders found with Tanzanian goods.

“When we bring goods from Tanzania, they turn us back. One of us was stopped and arrested right at the border,” another trader said.

Many expressed frustration, saying that small traders like them were targeted, while wealthier businesspeople continued moving goods with fewer problems.

“They are targeting us who have little capital, while those with big money are still bringing in goods,” Ms Chanya said.

With fear hanging over them, some traders are now selling their goods in secret.

“We only carry three or four bunches [of bananas], just to earn a living for the children,” said Evelina Mwakijungu.

“But our large consignments have been blocked, so we have no business—we’re struggling with our families.”

At Kasumulu, a normally bustling crossing point, the border was quiet.

Drivers lounged in the backs of their trucks or played games while waiting for instructions from their bosses.

On a typical day, more than 15 lorries loaded with agricultural goods would cross the border, drivers told the BBC.

Malawi’s Trade Ministry spokesperson Patrick Botha said they had not yet received official communication about the Tanzanian ban.

“We are hearing [about] this from social media. At an appropriate time, we will comment,” he told local media.

Malawi has become an important market for Tanzanian exports in recent years, with trade volumes tripling between 2018 and 2023, according to Tanzanian government data.

However, the border shutdown may force landlocked Malawi to reroute its own exports, including tobacco, sugar, and soybeans, through alternative ports.

It remains unclear how much South Africa, another country hit by the Tanzanian ban, will be affected.

South Africa, which exports fruits like apples and grapes to Tanzania, has yet to comment officially.

The trade dispute comes at a sensitive time for Africa, as the continent works towards greater regional integration through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which officially launched four years ago.