The Zambian government during the administration of former President Edgar Lungu frequently announced ad hoc import and export bans on agricultural staples in an effort to protect domestic producers or to ensure adequate local supplies of staple goods.  It maintains a de facto ban on agricultural products with genetically modified content through restrictive legislation and regulations.

Administrative corruption may be the most serious non-tariff barrier, particularly as it relates to government procurement.  Other non-trade barriers include intellectual property infringement, preferential treatment of state-owned enterprises, local labor requirements in transportation, and an overly cumbersome and often arbitrary and non-transparent regulatory environment.