17 May 2022

As long as Botswana continues to import food commodities, it will not be easy for government to control rising prices.

This was said by Minister of Agriculture, Mr Fidelis Molao at Shashe West leadership forum in Mathangwane on Monday.

Mr Molao said with the current global economic instability resulting from conflicts in countries supplying commodities such as fuel and oil, prices would continue to increase and there was little Botswana could do.

“We rely mainly on outside supply for many things even on items that can be produced locally hence it is about time we act and do our own,” he said.

The minister said it was time local farmers rose to the challenge and utilised government initiatives to produce enough food for Batswana.

He advised farmers to group themselves for the purpose of accessing government assistance.

The minister lamented that Batswana were reluctant to work together preferring to be assisted individually which he said at times became difficult.

A case in point, Mr Molao said, was the recently improved Integrated Support Programme for Arable Agriculture Development (ISPAAD) under which farmers were urged to take up cluster fencing but only a handful had done so.

He called for the revival of farmers committees saying the  ministry was ready to assist them to find opportunities for helping the country produce enough food.

Mr Molao informed his audience that the ministry had started working on improving artificial insemination centres which had not been working properly.

The plan was to resuscitate and spread them across the country as well as to make services affordable to farmers to help them improve their breeds, he explained. The minister said in addition, the ministry would help by acquiring semen from quality breeds worldwide.

 In his welcome remarks, Kgosi Itekeng Mathangwane decried lack of monitoring  for utilisation of seeds and fertilizers issued to farmers.

Some people used the seeds as chicken feed instead of sowing them, he said.

Kgosi Mathangwane called on government to do something about increasing food prices saying the situation would leave many destitute.

He requested the establishment of an artificial insemination centre in the area which would be easily accessible to farmers. ends