12 Jul 2015

Assistant Minister of Agriculture Mr Fidelis Molao has said that the National Agricultural Research and Development Institute (NARDI) exists to reduce public expenditure and improve cost efficiencies among parastatals and public entities through shared institutional resources and services.

Mr Molao, who is also Shashe West MP, officially launched the inaugural Board of Directors of NARDI in Kanye last Thursday (July 09). He said the new institution will ensure sustainable agricultural production through bridging the gap between research and industry.

He said NARDI will foster innovation, value addition and commercialisation of research output to drive economic diversification and improve national food security. Mr Molao appealed to the new board to do their best in ensuring that the institute delivers on its mandate.

For his part, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture Dr Micus Chimbombi said NARDI will impact positively on agricultural production. He said the institution will drive agricultural policies that will enable farmers countrywide to produce enough food and reduce the national food import bill.

The event brought together experts from various research fields, academics and the agriculture industry.

Public institutions carry the bulk of research in Botswana. Some notable research-based public entities include the Botswana Vaccine institute, the National Veterinary Laboratory, the National Food Technology Research Centre, the Department of Geology, the Department of Radiation, the University of Botswana and the Botswana College of Agriculture. Ends