Comesa says food import and export bans have impacted negatively on access to affordable food in the region.

"The inevitable consequences of this scenario include the frequent spate of food insecurity and poor economic performance in the agriculture sector.

"Furthermore, when big shocks like the 2008 food price crisis and financial meltdown occur -- they only help to reveal the soft economic systems, further destabilising the majority who depend on agriculture for their livelihoods," Jackson Kiraka, Comesa's technical advisor said in a statement.

Studies conducted by Comesa's specialised agency -- the Alliance for Commodity Trade in Eastern and Southern Africa (ACTESA) -- have indicated that the implications of food import and export bans include market gluts at production level, resort to informal trade channels and higher transaction costs and consumer prices.