12 Mar 2018

District agricultural coordinator, Ms Baitshepi Babusi-Hill has urged farmers to consider leaving societies and joining cooperations as a way of making profit.

Speaking at Botswana Horticulture Council (BoHoCo) stakeholders’ consultant at Rasesa Lodge on Thursday, Ms Hill encouraged farmers to make sure that they had all the information needed regarding commercial farming so that they helped grow the horticulture business in the country.

She said it was time officers and farmers worked hand in hand to improve the lives of farmers and also to make sure they improved the country’s economy by producing quality products.

Ms Babusi-Hill said she had realised that there was much that still needed to be done in the country regarding horticulture as most farmers still needed business and training in farming  to keep up with modern technology.

She said farmers should insure their fields, crops, employees and also their homes so that they got compensated should anything happen to their crops or to their employees, adding that AON Botswana Insurance just sealed a deal with their council.

Furthermore Ms Babusi-Hill pleaded with the farmers to pay more attention to their branding as some still supplied local stores with unlabeled products which ended up being associated with the business and not their farm.

She commended BoHoCo for hosting the market day as it enabled farmers to market their products and also to share ideas with other farmers. She also encouraged them to engage them in such activities so they helped with suggestions and recommendations.

District Farmers Association chairperson Mr Patrick Mono said farmers should play their role as members to make sure that they were represented well in the council and ensure they were aware of everything that was going on in the council.

He said working alone as a farmer was a setback as no one could run a farm alone without getting help from other farmers and the employees who played a pivotal role in the everyday life of the crops and livestock.

Mr Mono urged farmers to encourage and help each other in matters regarding horticulture as they both needed one another and by working together they would go far. Ends