04 May 2015

The Assistant Minister for Agriculture, Mr Fidelis Molao, has encouraged young farmers to explore dairy farming.

Speaking at the a field day organised by Botswana Young Farmers Association near Maun, Mr Molao said dairy farming was an open market since Botswana did not produce enough milk.

Mr Molao said Botswana produced about three million litres of milk currently, while the nation could be served with about 65 million litres.

He stated that government had realised that dairy farming was an expensive venture and had recently introduced the sexed semen technology that farmers could purchase at an affordable price to help production of dairy cows through artificial insemination.

The assistant minister also encouraged youth to look into fodder production, which he said, was a viable business worth exploring since Batswana had not yet commercialised it.

Furthermore, he said it was vital for youth to engage in research prior to seeking funding, adding that research was a vital aspect to raise chances on funding as well as for one to realise the challenges in their business sectors.

Mr Molao also advised young farmers to keep records; he added that government was committed to assist young farmers since they are crucial in the government’s plan to attain food security by 2017.He appreciated Young Farmers Association as a significant body since the youth would be heard better when speaking in one voice.

A young farmer, Ms Nonny Wright said dairy farming is an exciting industry which requires passion and dedication.She said her dairy farm which she inherited from her mother since 2012, was doing well although she experienced challenges such as suitable feeding methods for the cows.

Ms Wright said feeding dairy cows should be accompanied by love and attention. She said although she started with 17 cows only 10 were effective because of a problem she linked with the bull.

However, Ms Wright said she hoped her problem of production would be over since she introduced artificial insemination with assistance from the animal production department.
She noted that her vision is to be a large scale dairy farmer to produce enough milk for Maun community.


Ms Wright said that she worked hard to become established before she could ask for financial assistance and advised the youth to do so. She thanked her parents for mentoring her and exposing her to farming for the past 25 years. Ends