‘Veg import ban bears fruit’
The ban on importation of some vegetables bore fruit as local farmers have started to take advantage of the opportunities that come with feeding the nation.
Last year, the government decided to ban importation of some vegetables from South Africa and other vegetable exporting countries in a bid to force local retailers to buy vegetables from local farmers. The Assistant Minister of Agriculture, Molebatsi Molebatsi revealed this following a question from Member of Parliament (MP) for Maun West, Dumelang Shaleshando on issues surrounding the ban on importation of some horticultural produce. Molebatsi said the ban on importation of vegetables is bearing fruit as local farmers have started to take advantage of the move to meet the demand. He stated that currently these crops range between 50% and 70% of local production against demand except for ginger where farmers are beginning to get into production.
Molebatsi stated that before the ban, from January to May 2021 the production of tomatoes was 3,497 tonnes as compared to the current production of 2,464 tonnes versus the demand of 15,500 tonnes.
“Currently the supply of tomatoes is still low because farmers have not completed the harvest period. The total production of potatoes before the ban was 2,394 tonnes as compared to the current production of 4,903 tonnes versus the demand of 29,700 tonnes (8.45%). This is an increase in total production and a slight difference in area planted. There is an area of 150 hectares currently under harvest,” Molebatsi said. He added that before the ban, the production of onions was 83.49 tonnes as compared to the current production of 7,367 tonnes against 11,700 tonnes of crop demand showing a decrease between 124.199 hectares in 2021 and 82.59 hectares in 2022 and a production of 83.49 tonnes in 2021 against 7,367 tonnes in 2022.
Molebatsi said this shows an increase in production with a lesser area planted as it takes six months to harvest hence an overlap between the two seasons in comparison. He said that the prices for these commodities have been fluctuating throughout the months depending on availability, which depends on seasonality since there is a limited protected environment production.
“The total number of potato farmers currently stands at 14 with nine of them being Batswana: two in Tuli Block, two in Chobe, one in Ngamiland, and four in the Kweneng District,” he said.
Furthermore, Molebatsi revealed that there are measures that the ministry has taken to protect the consumers, giving an example of publishing information weekly for available products, locations, and producer contact details to ensure consumers have access to produce. He further stated that the ministry has on several occasions undertaken producer meetings to ensure continuous supply of produce in the market.
Moreover, Molebatsi said the ministry has also introduced a programme called Impact Accelerator Subsidy (IAS) to support farmers increase horticulture production and provide access to production structures and inputs. He stated that IAS is destined to promote protected cultivation amongst horticulture farmers therefore promoting sustainable production.