01 Apr 2019

In efforts to strengthen farmer assistance, improve productivity and food security, government will adopt measures to modernize the Integrated Support Programme for Arable Agriculture Development (ISPAAD),  President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi has said.

 The President,  who was addressing a kgotla meeting in Tonota on April 1, said the new, modern form of ISPAAD would require farmers’ cooperation.

 They would be required to consent to such demands as cluster fencing and straightening of field boundaries which would pave way for infrastructural development in production zones, he said.

ISPAAD, he explained, endeavoured to increase crop yields by enhancing technology adoption. 

He said for agriculture in Botswana to thrive, it had to embrace and adopt ICT, mechanize and allow for the industrialisation of production processes. 

The President explained that government would also pay farmers for a fraction of their produce.

Dr Masisi said he was aware of challenges faced by subsistence farmers, especially those who failed to develop their land within the set time frames.

He however said government was working on removing obstacles preventing them from optimal utilisation of their fields.

“We are consulting you to enable the new ISPAAD when it is implemented to run smoothly,” he said.

The President said agriculture had the potential to address the problem of youth unemployment if the right farming practices were introduced adding that cattle posts should also adopt technological applications. 

He urged Batswana, especially those involved in agriculture, to be innovative and hardworking if they wanted to be counted amongst the best in the world. 

President said the growth of the country’s population required serious investment in infrastructure and improvement of service delivery. 

He told them to understand that as the country grew, there would be developmental challenges which they should be prepared to work with government to tackle.

 Dr Masisi informed his audience his international and regionional travels looking for investors and markets for locally produced goods were beginning to bear fruit.

 “Government wants to facilitate Batswana to do business all over the world. Therefore we need innovators who can collaborate with those who have the technical knowhow. We should stop this habit of praising people from other countries on their ability to do things that we can be able to accomplish on our own,” he said.

Dr Masisi emphasised the need for Batswana to change their mindset and start competing with other nations in different sectors of the economy.

 Noting that diamonds would not sustain the country forever, hence the need to diversify the economy. 

One of the areas the President said would be used to empower locals was public procurement which he said would be transformed under his leadership to focus on things that benefited the economy.

 Consequently, he said he would ensure that domestic cottage industries such as those dealing with labour were supported to take advantage of an abundance of cattle in the country.

 As part of finding markets for local products, President Masisi said that he had identified demand for small stock in Zambia. 

“The Zambians want small stock as they have managed to secure a market in the Arab world. Also, we should take advantage of activities such as the Diwali festivals by the Hindu community where demand for goats is very high,” he said.

One of his objectives, the President said, was to create a class of competitive entreprenuers. His government, would continue improving programmes such as ISPAAD, Operation Kgomukhumo to make them effective and improve the livelihoods of Batswana. 

On other issues, he urged Batswana to cooperate with government when their land was required for development projects. 

This, Dr Masisi explained, was crucial in that the land could be needed by foreign investors who wanted to create employment for the country. 

He discouraged people from speculating on tribal land as it was not meant for profit. 

On the effects of cyclone Idai in neighbouring countries, Dr Masisi said the disaster had affected food security as all their produce had been destroyed.

 The state of affairs called for Batswana farmers to work hard and produce food which could be used locally and sold to neighbours to ameliorate the situation brought by natural disasters, he said.

    President Masisi assured his listeners that the country was in a healthy state. ends