Botswana Wheat Import Market -- HS Code 1001 Trade Data & Price Trend (Feb 2025)

Botswana Wheat Import (HS 1001) Key Takeaways

Botswana’s wheat imports under HS Code 1001 surged to $3.71M in February 2025, driven by a near-tripling of volume while prices held steady at $0.35/kg, signaling strategic stockpiling. The market is entirely reliant on bulk, non-durum wheat (10019900), with no value-added products, leaving importers exposed to global commodity swings. Supplier concentration is extreme, with top traders like SEABOARD controlling 97% of imports, creating supply chain vulnerabilities. Geographically, South Africa dominates (72% of shipments), while Russia provides a stable secondary source. This analysis covers February 2025 and is based on cleanly processed customs data from the yTrade database.

Botswana Wheat Import (HS 1001) Background

What is HS Code 1001?

HS Code 1001 covers wheat and meslin, a staple commodity critical for food security and industrial processing. Wheat is primarily used in baking, animal feed, and food manufacturing, driving consistent global demand due to its role in basic nutrition. Its trade dynamics are influenced by production cycles, climate conditions, and geopolitical factors, making it a key indicator of agricultural market stability.

Current Context and Strategic Position

The 2025 Trade Policy Agenda highlights ongoing adjustments to trade agreements and tariff quotas, which could impact Botswana's wheat import landscape [USTR]. As a landlocked nation reliant on imports for wheat supply, Botswana's trade policies must balance affordability with food security, particularly given seasonal restrictions like Namibia's import window (BURS). Monitoring HS Code 1001 trade data is essential to anticipate price fluctuations and supply chain disruptions in this strategically vital sector.

Botswana Wheat Import (HS 1001) Price Trend

Key Observations

Botswana's Wheat import trend for February 2025 reached 3.71 million USD, with a consistent unit price of $0.35 per kilogram, indicating a substantial increase in trade activity compared to the previous month.

Price and Volume Dynamics

The hs code 1001 value trend shows a sharp sequential rise from January's 1.22 million USD, driven by a near-tripling of import volume while prices held steady. This surge aligns with typical stock cycle adjustments in grain imports, possibly reflecting preparatory builds ahead of seasonal demand shifts or responsive sourcing to stable global wheat availability. The momentum suggests strategic inventory management amid broader agricultural trade flows, without significant price volatility influencing the uptick.

Botswana Wheat Import (HS 1001) HS Code Breakdown

Product Specialization and Concentration

According to yTrade data for February 2025, Botswana's import under HS Code 1001 is entirely dominated by a single product: sub-code 10019900, described as cereals including wheat and meslin, excluding durum wheat and seed. This sub-code accounts for 100% of the import value, weight, and frequency, with a unit price of $0.35 per kilogram, indicating a highly concentrated market in basic wheat grains without significant value-added processing.

Value-Chain Structure and Grade Analysis

The market structure for HS Code 1001 imports into Botswana consists solely of non-durum wheat in bulk form, categorized as a raw agricultural commodity. This homogeneity suggests a trade in fungible bulk goods, where products are undifferentiated and likely priced against global commodity indices, with no evidence of higher-value or finished goods within this code.

Strategic Implication and Pricing Power

For importers, this structure implies limited pricing power due to reliance on global wheat markets, necessitating a focus on cost-efficient sourcing and logistics. Analyzing HS Code 1001 trade data shows that strategic efforts should prioritize volume negotiations and supply chain stability, rather than product differentiation.

Table: Botswana HS Code 1001) Breakdown Details (Source: yTrade)

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Botswana Wheat Import (HS 1001) Origin Countries

Geographic Concentration and Dominant Role

Botswana's wheat imports in February 2025 show a high dependency on a single supplier. South Africa is the dominant source, accounting for 72.39% of all shipments and 72.15% of the total weight. The value share of 74.30% is slightly higher than the weight share, suggesting Botswana pays a small premium for South African wheat, likely due to its quality or lower transport costs.

Origin Countries Clusters and Underlying Causes

The remaining trade splits into two clear groups. Russia forms a volume hub, supplying over a fifth of the import weight with a consistent share across all metrics. Latvia, Namibia, and Lithuania form a transactional cluster. Their frequency share is significantly higher than their weight share. For example, Latvia had 4.38% of shipments but only 4.24% of the weight. This pattern points to smaller, more frequent wheat deliveries, which is common for managing fresh food supply chains and regional mill demand.

Forward Strategy and Supply Chain Implications

Botswana's wheat supply chain is highly efficient but carries concentration risk due to its heavy reliance on South Africa. The consistent, high-volume shipments from Russia provide a stable secondary source. The strategy should be to maintain these primary routes for cost efficiency while using the smaller, frequent shipments from European partners to fill specific, niche demands without significantly increasing complexity or cost.

Table: Botswana Wheat (HS 1001) Top Origin Countries (Source: yTrade)

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Botswana Wheat (HS 1001) Suppliers Analysis

Supplier Concentration and Dominance

In February 2025, the Botswana Wheat import suppliers market shows high concentration. According to yTrade data, suppliers with high value and high frequency shipments dominate, holding 96.95% of the import value. This group handled over 10 million units in quantity, making large, regular deliveries the typical trade for wheat imports.

Strategic Supplier Clusters and Trade Role

The remaining supplier clusters have minimal impact, with low value and low frequency groups contributing less than 3% of value. The dominant HS code 1001 suppliers, such as SEABOARD, are trading entities, indicating an intermediated market where agents manage bulk commodity flows. This structure points to a reliance on specialized traders for wheat sourcing.

Sourcing Strategy and Vulnerability

For Botswana, this high supplier concentration creates vulnerability to supply chain disruptions, urging a strategic focus on diversifying sources. The low presence of alternative clusters limits flexibility. Recent tariff notes from [BURS] could affect import costs, reinforcing the need to monitor policy changes for risk management in this agent-driven model.

Table: Botswana Wheat (HS 1001) Top Suppliers List (Source: yTrade)

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Action Plan for Wheat Market Operation and Expansion

• Use hs code 1001 trade data to actively identify and qualify new suppliers from the Baltic transactional cluster (e.g., Latvia) to diversify Botswana's Wheat Import sources away from South African dominance and mitigate concentration risk.
• Negotiate long-term volume contracts with major high-frequency suppliers like SEABOARD, using historical shipment data to secure stable pricing and lock in supply, ensuring predictability for the national Wheat supply chain.
• Monitor global wheat commodity indices and hs code 1001 trade data daily to time purchases during price dips, as the market is driven by global indices, directly lowering the landed cost of Botswana Wheat Import.
• Analyze the smaller, frequent shipments from the Baltic region within the hs code 1001 trade data to understand their specific quality or logistical advantages, enabling their strategic use for filling niche demand without disrupting the core Wheat supply chain.

Take Action Now —— Explore Botswana Wheat Import Data

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is driving the recent changes in Botswana Wheat Import 2025 February?

The surge in Botswana's wheat imports to $3.71 million in February 2025 was driven by a near-tripling of volume while unit prices remained stable at $0.35/kg, reflecting strategic inventory builds ahead of seasonal demand shifts.

Q2. Who are the main origin countries of Botswana Wheat (HS Code 1001) 2025 February?

South Africa dominates with 74.30% of import value, followed by Russia (over 20% of weight) and smaller transactional shipments from Latvia, Namibia, and Lithuania.

Q3. Why does the unit price differ across origin countries of Botswana Wheat Import?

All imports under HS Code 1001 are bulk non-durum wheat (sub-code 10019900), making prices uniform globally; slight variations reflect transport costs or quality premiums (e.g., South Africa’s marginally higher value share).

Q4. What should importers in Botswana focus on when buying Wheat?

Importers should prioritize volume negotiations and supply chain stability due to reliance on undifferentiated bulk wheat, while diversifying sources to mitigate risks from high supplier concentration (96.95% controlled by dominant traders).

Q5. What does this Botswana Wheat import pattern mean for overseas suppliers?

Suppliers like South Africa and Russia benefit from stable, high-volume demand, while niche European traders (e.g., Latvia) can capitalize on smaller, frequent shipments for mill-specific needs without disrupting bulk flows.

Q6. How is Wheat typically used in this trade flow?

Botswana imports raw, bulk non-durum wheat primarily for basic food production, with no evidence of value-added processing, indicating usage in staple goods like flour or bread.