17 Feb 2015

Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) is looking to create a viable livestock cluster as part of a government strategy of economic growth and diversification. 

Presenting the ministry’s P2, 157 billion budget estimates for the 2015/16 financial year, which was approved by Parliament, acting minister, Mr Patrick Ralotsia told Parliament, that the cattle or beef cluster was one of the clusters identified under the project on which work had already started. 

“To have a viable livestock sector in our country it needs to be export based and hence control of animal diseases remains paramount. In this regard, the ministry has made significant progress in the control of foot and mouth disease,” said the acting minister.

He said despite the occasional spike of outbreaks, the foot and mouth situation in Botswana was stable. Mr Ralotsia said his ministry was experiencing successes and challenges in terms of finding external markets for cattle and beef from Ngamiland. 

“We are continuing with the search for alternative markets for cattle and beef from Ngamiland area. We are exporting live cattle to Zimbabwe and we did export a few to the Democratic Republic of Congo. We are still pursuing the possibility of exporting beef from this area to Angola,” he said. 

Mr Ralotsia proposed an amount of P1 billion as recurrent budget estimates for his ministry for the 2015/16 financial year, and another P1 billion as development estimates.  The recurrent estimates are an increase of 5.8 percent from the current financial year, while the development estimates dropped by 10.32 percent compared to this financial year. 

Mr Ralotsia said the budget of increase in the recurrent estimates will be allocated to the project of transforming Botswana College of Agriculture into a university of Agriculture, as well as to the merging of National Food Technology Research Centre with other research based institutions. 

He said the funds under development estimates would be used mainly to complete on-going projects which include upgrading of Livestock Identification and Trace back system (LITS) to the new Botswana Animal Identification and Traceability System (BAITS) at a cost of P18.3 million, construction and maintenance of cordon fences, construction of employee houses at various agricultural research ranches, and infrastructure development at Pandamatenga, including the Zambezi Agro-Commercial project. 

Supporting the budget proposal, Nkange MP, Mr Edwin Batshu urged the ministry to repair the damaged cordon fences in his constituency. He said the problem of damaged cordon fences has resulted with some cattle straying across the border into Zimbabwe. He also asked the minister to find a solution to the problem of late payment of people who supply government empowerment programmes, like LIMID, with goats. 

Kanye South MP, Mr Abram Kesupile asked the ministry to build an agricultural service centre in Kanye, which can assist farmers in areas around the village. ENDS