African nations, including Lesotho, were relieved when the Trump administration suspended reciprocal tariffs that were set to impose heavy duties on specific products such as clothing, textiles, vanilla, and fruit being exported to the United States. This move brought temporary relief to businesses in these countries.
Lesotho, Madagascar and South Africa were threatened with some of the highest tariff rates under U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan.
Lesotho, a small mountainous kingdom, was particularly impacted by the 50% duties that were supposed to go into effect before the suspension was announced by Trump, making it the second-highest tariff rate after China. The sudden turn of events left many businesses in Lesotho surprised and uncertain about their future.
Regarding the suspension of tariffs, Lesotho’s Trade and Industry Minister Mokhethi Shelile expressed optimism about the opportunity it presents for negotiating tariff reductions to create a more level playing field. Despite acknowledging the seriousness of the issue at hand, Shelile emphasized the country’s proactive approach in addressing the challenges.
Many like Lesotho had already sent trade delegations to Washington or were willing to negotiate, with some of their most important industries and tens of thousands of jobs hinging on the outcome.
Lesotho makes American clothing brands
Nearly half of Lesotho’s 30,000 clothing and textile workers depend on jobs making apparel for American brands like Levi’s, Nike, Reebok and others, which are exported to the U.S. Clothing and textiles is the biggest private employer in the country of just 2.3 million people.
Lesotho’s most pressing problem is that regional competitors like Kenya and Eswatini had been assigned much lower tariffs for their exports — some as much as 40% lower. Officials warned that the competitive disadvantage would likely shut down more than a dozen Lesotho factories and eliminate more than 12,000 jobs unless they can significantly reduce their 50% tariff rate in negotiations.
“The problem arises when countries like Eswatini receive a 10% tariff while we’re hit with 50%. These are the very countries we compete against,” Shelile said.
Lesotho’s clothing industry had braced itself for the 50% tariffs this week, with some saying it was the sector’s worst time since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I don’t fully understand what’s happening, but I heard on the radio that our jobs are at risk,” said machine operator Mareitumetse Lesia, who was on a lunch break during a nine-hour shift stitching together Levi’s jeans in one factory. “I hope it’s not true. I know what it’s like to have nothing to eat.”
The world’s biggest vanilla producer
In Madagascar, which produces 80% of the world’s vanilla, that industry “felt better” as soon as the tariffs suspension was confirmed, said Georges Geeraerts, the president of the Madagascar Vanilla Exporters Group. Madagascar had faced 47% duties on exports to the U.S.
But there were other complications. Exporters were now rushing their vanilla to the U.S. — by far Madagascar’s biggest market — in the hope that it would arrive while tariffs are still suspended. Cargo ships take 70-90 days to reach the U.S. from the Indian Ocean island and exporters didn’t know what duties might be imposed when the product got there given the abrupt changes in policy by the Trump administration.
“All our American customers have been asking us since this morning to load the vanilla onto the cargo ships, so that we can meet the deadlines,” said one exporter, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly about the orders.
A 25-year-old trade agreement facing termination
South Africa’s citrus industry said the original 30% tariffs for its country had threatened 35,000 jobs and the economies of entire towns that are geared to exporting oranges and other citrus fruits to the U.S. when they are out of season in North America.
The suspension of the reciprocal tariffs gave South Africa’s biggest agricultural export “breathing space,” said Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa CEO Boisthoko Ntshabele. But they also faced the new reality that the first citrus fruit of the year going to the U.S. this week from South Africa would be taxed at the 10% across the board tariff the U.S. has kept in place — still a significant blow, though less severe than the 30% duties initially announced.
South African citrus had previously been given tariff-free access to the U.S. under the 25-year-old African Growth and Opportunity Act that benefits dozens of African nations. Many fear that agreement will not be renewed when it expires in September. South African Trade Minister Parks Tau said it would be “very difficult” to keep AGOA given the Trump administration’s stance.
Ntshabele said South Africa’s citrus growers were urging that their product be exempt from tariffs given they worked in tandem with U.S. farmers to provide fruit to American consumers at different times of the year.
“South African citrus growers do not directly threaten the jobs or incomes of citrus growers in places like California, Florida and Texas,” Ntshabele said.
___
Associated Press writers Keketso Phakela in Maseru, Lesotho, and Sarah Tetaud in Antananarivo, Madagascar contributed to this report.
___
More AP news on the Trump administration: https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
