15 Nov 2021

Assisting individual arable farmers to drill boreholes will enhance food production in the country and reduce the food import bill, says Francistown South MP, Mr Wynter Mmolotsi.

Presenting the motion in  he requested government to consider assisting individual arable farmers to drill boreholes in their farms on Friday, Mr Mmolotsi said water was central to the success of all the activities of the agricultural sector and making it accessible to the farming community would nudge the sector forward and make it more productive.

In order to enable farmers to play a visible role in food production, Mr Mmolotsi said drilling boreholes for them would bridge the production gap that was brought about by the unreliable rainfall received in the country.

The MP said adopting and implementing the motion would bring about success in initiatives that government had been promoting such as integrated farming and agro-tourism.

Mr Mmolotsi said due to the prohibitive costs of drilling and equipping a borehole, many farmers and other Batswana who desired to go into farming were constrained by lack of water to contribute to efforts to feed the nation.

Debating the motion, Assistant Minister of Agricultural Development and Food Security, Ms Beauty Manake said while the motion was good, its implementation would not be easy.

Ms Manake said given how much drilling a borehole costed, it would cost government billions to implement the motion.

She said drilling boreholes for individual farmers would also reverse the gains made towards getting farmers to work together through cooperatives and in the cluster fencing programme.

Vice president Mr Slumber Tsogwane said water was indeed crucial in agricultural production, but that different priorities were competing to be funded from government coffers.

Mr Tsogwane said with the nation still grappling with the effects of COVID-19 it was vital to understand that the need to save lives from the virus had seen government channel a huge  funds towards fighting the pandemic.

Shashe West MP, Mr Fidelis Molao opposed the motion, saying it would not be wise to implement such a motion, particularly in settings such as those of cluster fencing.

Also opposing the motion, Mogoditshane MP, Mr Tumiso Rakgare said agriculture was among government’s top priorities as shown by the commitment to turn the sector around and improve its fortunes.

Kgalagadi South MP, Mr Sam Brooks said government had spent a lot of money implementing the cluster fencing initiative, but that minimal results had come out of the programme due to lack of access to water.

He said to enhance the effectiveness of cluster fencing, government should consider making the drilling of boreholes a component of the cluster fencing programme.

Serowe North legislator, Mr Baratiwa Mathoothe said availing water through the drilling of boreholes would improve the effectiveness of all initiatives currently in place for the benefit of the farming community.

MP Onneetse Ramogapi of Palapye supported the motion, saying availing water to farmers would improve production and consequently increase the contribution of agriculture to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Mr Dithapelo Keorapetse, Selebi Phikwe West MP said availing water to the farming community would unleash the job creation potential of the agricultural sector as it would make it more profitable and therefore attractive for people to venture into.

He said given the dwindling contribution of agriculture to the GDP, adopting and implementing the motion would help revive the sector and add on to efforts to improve its contribution to the economy.

MP Motsamai Motsamai of Ghanzi South also supported the motion.

He said supporting agriculture in all ways possible would bring about a reduction in the number of beneficiaries in programmes such as Ipelegeng as well as in other social security initiatives.

Ngami legislator, Mr Caterpillar Hikuama said it was the duty of government to help people become productive in whatever they put their hands on.

He said with water being the bedrock of the work of the farming community, government should make it available to those who needed it but could not access it on their own. Debate on the motion continues. Ends