AGRICULTURE’S SONA ATTRACTION
On Monday, eyes and ears were focused firmly on Parliament as, for the fifth time since assuming the top office in the land, President Mokgweetsi Masisi delivered his State of Nation Address (SONA).
The address is meant to highlight key deliverables achieved thus far as well as outlining the country’s direction going forward.
There was plenty to interest those invested in Agriculture, with Masisi praising the sector for continuing to create opportunities for food security, economic diversification and employment through the development of clusters and value chains.
The President patted his government on the back for introducing restrictions on vegetable imports at the start of the year, noting this had provided a huge market for Botswana.
The ban covers 16 fruit and vegetables in total, including favourites like: tomatoes, carrots and potatoes. Happy with what he heard, Botswana Horticulture Council Chairperson, Mogomotsi Moatswi, noted it was heartening for Agriculture to receive so much attention from a SONA.
“The issue of the market was duly addressed through the import ban and the good news is that government pledges much of budget to help improve food security. However, what we wish for is the deliberate establishment of collection centers for value chain development because such centers will eliminate competition between farmers. Centers work with cooperatives to collect and distribute produce and, with that, farmers’ roles become easy since they focus on production. Further, centers will give us a chance to quantify produce we have,” said Moatswi, adding improved infrastructure at farms will further shorten the route between harvesting and the market.
President Masisi also touched upon the construction of Tsabong Multi-species Abattoir, which will be commissioned in April 2023, and the establishment of a Meat Industry Regulatory Authority, to be tabled at Parliament.
Other notable initiatives include Artificial Insemination (AI) and importing live animals, moves geared towards improving the quality of livestock and increasing the national herd.
Speaking to Voice Money, Botswana National Beef Producers Union spokesperson, Andrew Seeletso, said they were pleased with government’s efforts to develop the ‘quality and quantity’ of the country’s herd, which currently sits at around 1.5 million.
“It’s key to the growth of the sector. Our view is if we improve prices at Botswana Meat Commission, there will be more investment and creation of jobs. AI is important since it’s the cheapest way to improve quality of offsprings and get quality semen. The liberalisation of the industry is a welcome development since it will remove monopoly and promote healthy competition. If there are many industry players in the beef industry then it will make farmers to be paid well and reinvest,” reasoned Seeletso.