29 Nov 2017

While government has gone all out to improve the livelihoods of many Batswana through various initiatives, some people who do not have the interest of the nation at heart are cashing in big through unscrupulous means.

Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security is one such entity where criminals have been siphoning away government funds.

The ministry is currently investigating instances of funds stolen from government where Integrated Support Programme for Arable Agricultural Development (ISPAAD) was targeted.

Speaking at the launch of the ministry’s Strategic Plan (2017-2023), the Minister of Agricultural Development and Food Security Mr Patrick Ralotsia said one local company was found packaging old and expired fertilisers and repackaging old and useless seeds for the ISPAAD programme.

“Just this morning, I received a report that a certain local company was discovered packaging old and expired fertilisers and repackaging old and useless seeds.  We are going to take a serious action against this company. There are some people who are contaminated and they want to contaminate the system and we will not hesitate to take action,” he added.

He said the intention was not to lock up people in jail but if  need be, action would always be taken adding that the company, which was not mentioned for now, was still being investigated because it was only discovered recently. The minister explained that government had been experiencing corrupt acts and practices in the execution of the ISPAAD programme.

“The investment does not match with the return because of the abuse of the programme. Some people are redistributing seeds and fertilisers. Others register non-existing people. Some sell fertilisers more than once. But government is investing a lot of money on this programme on yearly basis,” he added.

ISPAAD is one of the main agricultural support schemes introduced in 2008 to address challenges in the arable sub-sector; of poor technology adoption by farmer and low productivity of the sub-sector with primary objectives to increase grain production, promote food security at household and national levels, commercialise agriculture through mechanisation, facilitate access to farm inputs and credit and improve extension outreach.

Meanwhile, Mr Ralotsia explained that the strategic plan was aligned to the National Development Plan 11, Vision 2036 and Agenda 2063 and endevoured to provide a comprehensive guide to the development of agricultural sector. He said the Strategic plan expressed the future aspirations of the ministry as it wais a framework through which the ministry shall apply its resources and strengths to exploit the available opportunities and confront any threats that hinder it from achieving its mission.

“Strategic planning provides the framework that facilitates efficient and sustainable utilisation of resources in the delivery of the core business of an organisation The Plan helps organisations to strategically position themselves strategically in their operational environment,” he added.

Minister Ralotsia further stated that key strategic themes had been identified that require intervention during the planning period and these were knowing the agricultural sector, enabling agribusiness environment and developing the sector.

He said to address the strategic themes, the ministry developed strategic objectives which included increasing agricultural production, improving service delivery, increasing agricultural investment, improving resource management, improving monitoring and evaluation of the ministry projects as well as promoting product compliances.

He appealed to Batswana during the coming ploughing season to avoid using medicine/chemicals indiscriminately when producing food as these could lead to antimicrobial resistance. Antimicrobial resistance occurs when microbes become resistant to medicine that are normally used to treat the infections they cause.

Mr Ralotsia further said no country had escaped poverty or become wealthier without first making progress to agriculture and that civilization could not have evolved, survived and prospered without, food, the product of agriculture.

Stakeholders hailed the Strategic Plan adding that the plan had a direction to yields fruits if implemented properly but appealed that the document should not gather dust and should also have some political will in order for it to prosper. BOPA