01 Jul 2019

Vice President, Mr Slumber Tsogwane has said although Batswana have been practicing farming from time immemorial,  they continue to struggle to be sufficient in food production.

Mr Tsogwane who was officiating at the annual Voorslag farmers’ day at Letlhakane on Friday said agriculture was the only undertaking that communities understood better and took pride in. . “We must retrospect and identify where we went wrong,” he said.

He urged the farming community to commit themselves towards reviving the sector, noting that it was regrettable that farming was taken as a part time undertaking.

Mr Tsogwane said in order to succeed in growing and diversifying the sector, farmers must wholeheartedly focus in farming endeavours and urged those interested in the sector but not able to be fully hands on, to engage competent personnel in managing their farms if they were to get returns for their investment.

Despite the unfortunate setback experienced by the sector, Mr Tsogwane commended the private sector and other committed farmers for showing interest in reviving the sector. He said efforts made by Voorslag were worth noting as they were in line with government’s development agenda.

The event Mr Tsogwane said envisaged agricultural development as the driving force of the economy since it did not only showcase farmers produce and sharing stories but also lured new entrants into the industry.  He said the event came at a time when the global food security had worsened and continued to present a serious threat to humanity.

However, he pointed out that government was taking note of youth contribution in agriculture.

“We acknowledge that young people constitute the majority of our population and that their significant role in agricultural production is noticed,” he said adding that government had provided an enabling environment for the youth through programmes that facilitated easy access to resources to enhance their participation in all sectors of the economy, more especially agriculture.

He noted that the country embraced the collective Private Public Partnership (PPP) model and appreciated any financial help geared towards economic growth and development. The Vice President also used the opportunity to launch Kaka Ranches Farmers Association and commended members for working as a team. He said most farmers were faced with challenges to an extent that some were finding it difficult to service loans from commercial banks.

However, he said CEDA was aimed to address farmers’ financial woos. Through the agency, he said farmers could get loans at affordable interest rates. He encouraged Kaka farmers to support the BMC by selling their livestock to its abattoir.

“I am hopeful that your association will be the best, encourage farmers to improve the quality of their cattle,” he said and encouraged them to grow livestock feed as well. Meanwhile, Boteti East MP, Mr Sethomo Lelatisitswe also encouraged Kaka farmers to help grow the agriculture sector. “I have long wished for farmers to come together and speak with one voice as doing so will help them grow,” he said.

Karowe Diamond Mine general manager, Mr Johane Mchive said they were looking at investing in agriculture projects and would collaborate with other stakeholders in ensuring food security. Kaka Farmers Association has 32 members and more than 170 ranches with more than 30 000 breeding cows. The association’s chaiperson, Ms Sinikiwe Masalila said the farms had potential to sell 16 000 cattle to BMC annually. ENDS