Botswana imported food and beverages worth P1.04 billion in February 2026, a decline of 17.7 percent from the P1.26 billion recorded in January, according to the latest figures released by Statistics Botswana.
The report shows that food and beverage imports accounted for 10.5 percent of the country’s total imports of P9.84 billion during the month. Non-food imports made up the remaining 89.5 percent.
Beverages, spirits and vinegar remained the largest food and beverage import category, valued at P201.5 million and contributing 19.4 percent of total food and beverage imports. Cereals followed at P150.4 million, representing 14.5 percent of the total, while miscellaneous edible preparations accounted for P100 million or 9.6 percent.
The value of beverage imports increased by 10.9 percent from January’s P181.7 million, reinforcing the category’s position as Botswana’s leading food and beverage import.
Within the beverages category, beer made from malt was the most imported product, accounting for P64.8 million or 32.2 percent of beverage imports. Other fermented beverages, including cider, perry, mead and sake, contributed P50.6 million or 25.1 percent. Other non-alcoholic beverages and sweetened or flavoured waters followed with contributions of 13.0 percent and 10.2 percent respectively.
Cereal imports, which had surged to P395 million in January, fell sharply to P150.4 million in February, a decline of 61.9 percent. Despite the drop, cereals remained the second-largest food import category.
The cereal basket was dominated by maize imports worth P86.5 million, accounting for 57.5 percent of cereal imports. Semi-milled or wholly milled rice followed at P40 million, representing 26.6 percent, while wheat imports stood at P22 million or 14.6 percent.
Other notable import categories included preparations of cereals, flour, starch or milk at P81.1 million, sugars and sugar confectionery at P77.3 million, and preparations of vegetables, fruit and nuts at P72.3 million. Dairy products contributed P60.1 million, while prepared animal fodder accounted for P53.3 million.
Statistics Botswana noted that although food and beverage imports declined month-on-month, beverages, cereals and processed food products continued to dominate the country’s import basket, underlining Botswana’s continued reliance on imported food products to meet domestic demand.