24 Nov 2020

Member of Parliament (MP) for Moshupa/Manyana, Mr Karabo Gare says ISPAAD is being reviewed to make it more sustainable and efficient.

Contributing to the ongoing debates on State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA), Mr Gare, who is also the Minister of Agricultural Development and Food Security, said a lot was being invested on ISPAAD, as such government was expecting high outcomes from the programme.

He noted that the current programme, which was being rolled out, was a transitional arrangement, adding that the past ISPAAD accrued a backlog of debt, which was an indication of bad financial decisions.

Mr Gare said government was looking at revising LIMID to make it more attractive and output-based. 

He said the current backlog from the programme amounted to over P280 million. 

He said spending on such programmes was to make them cost-effective. 

He noted that sectors such as horticulture, which were still to be explored on a full scale, had the potential to reduce the country’s import bill.

Mr Gare said Batswana were still facing challenges in the beef industry as they were unable to reap rewards. He said by introducing some measures such as the beef strategy, it would be possible to make it more profitable. 

He added that government was working round the clock to establish a meat regulator and make it more efficient. 

The MP said government currently met with those interested in establishing the small stock market for Batswana abroad as it was a lucrative deal and government was making all efforts to assist small stock farmers.

He said the development of capacity-building centres such as Lobu, Impala and Setlatla was an indication of government’s commitment.

He applauded the recently introduced small stock initiative by President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi, saying the initiative was of high value. Mr Gare said research and development in the agric sector was of paramount importance, hence the establishment of a research unit. Mr Gare said they had also invested in ICT to deal with the current virtual market.

He said his constituency was also lagging behind in developments, contrary to what others think. 

He noted that the recently opened 70-bed hospital was part of the NDP 4 agenda and was 20 years behind schedule. 

He said the envisaged sporting facility was a small project that was also part of the development plan.

Mr Gare said Moshupa/Manyana constituency needed good roads as it was a link between Botswana and its trading partners through the Trans Kalahari Highway. 

He complained about the poor state of water reticulation in his area and poor infrastructure development in some schools, which he said was affecting the learning process. 

For his part, Sefhare/Ramokgonami MP, Dr Kesitegile Gobotswang said the interest of the nation should become a priority over partisan politics. 

He complained that opposition parties appreciated motions brought to the house by BDP members, but any opposition-sponsored motion was always rejected. 

He said the cornerstone of any democratic nation was inclusivity and appealed to the Leader of the House, Vice President Slumber Tsogwane to intervene.

Dr Gobotswang said President Masisi’s SONA did not provide solutions across different sectors as it mildly addressed how Batswana might benefit from ambitious projects such as the Zambezi integrated Agro Commercial development project. 

He said the challenge with self-sufficiency in food production was meagre prices that BAMB was offering local farmers.

He said lack of proper resources had collapsed the extension services in the agric. sector. Dr Gobotswang said his party, the Umbrella for Democracy, had advocated for the development of dams with irrigation components, noting that arable farming was not sufficient due to unreliable rains. 

He said introducing new projects was bound to fail because of poor planning. 

He said projects such as MilkAfrik and the leather park were likely to under-perform as government did not develop them step by step, starting with the small man. 

He called on government to review salaries and conditions of service for Bogosi. ends