08 Sep 2019

 

Batswana have been urged to take advantage of the value chain that exists within the agricultural sector to eradicate poverty and improve the economy of the country.

This was said by the Assistant Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, Mr Karabo Gare at the National Agricultural Poverty Eradication day held in Lotlhakane West recently.

The event, held under the theme; Commit to End Poverty Through Agriculture, was attended by Poverty Eradication beneficiaries from Southern, Kweneng and North West districts.

Mr Gare noted that agriculture, which used to be Botswana’s economic mainstay before diamond exploration, had the potential not only to eradicate poverty but to also create employment thereby improving the country’s economy.

Therefore, he underscored the need to strive for self-sufficiency and creating the agricultural market within the country to reduce the import bill.

He said government was committed to ensuring that Batswana from all walks of life graduate from poverty and continue to create wealth for themselves and participate in the economy of the country.

He urged people to take advantage of the available poverty eradication packages to uplift their lives and their families.

“There are many government programmes for Batswana to help grow the economy of this country and agricultural projects under the poverty eradication programme are just one of them.

I urge you all to fully utilize such programmes as they are of benefit to both individuals and the country,” he said. 

However, the assistant minister said the programmes required commitment, passion and dedication for them to be successful.

 He emphasised the need for beneficiaries to choose projects which they were passionate about so that they could persevere through the challenges.

He applauded the beneficiaries for their resilience that saw most of them graduate from abject poverty and sustain their families.

He said government acknowledged that challenges such as water shortage could hamper production hence plans were underway to use technology to enhance agriculture for better output.

Additionally, he urged them to utilise organizations that provided business mentoring and financing to small and medium businesses such as Local Enterprise Authority (LEA) and Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency (CEDA), to grow their businesses.

For his part, poverty eradication coordinating unit assistant coordinator in the Office of the President Mr Nyendi Moloyi said Batswana should utilise the poverty eradication programme wisely for it to be effective.

He said they should take proper care of their projects for them to achieve their ultimate goal of improving lives.

 He called for collective participation of various sectors to fight poverty and uplift the lives of the people across the country. 

He urged government departments and the communities to support beneficiaries and give them constructive and positive criticism to improve.

For his part, Moshupa sub-council chairperson, Mr Sonny Phiri applauded the government for the poverty eradication efforts.

He also appreciated that children were involved in the event as a way of exposing them to survival skills which would later help them in life.

He called on Batswana to unite against poverty by looking out for their neighbours who were in need.

However, he encouraged small stock farmers to regularly reduce their flock to avoid effects caused by drought and livestock diseases.

He said they should always keep reasonable numbers while others should be sold for other investments and savings. ENDS