07 Aug 2022

Local farmers need to take advantage of the shortage of wheat resulting from the  Russia-Ukraine war to produce more wheat.

Assistant Minister of Trade and Industry, Ms Beauty Manake made the call Friday at the Chobe Agricultural Show held under the theme: Unity and Technology of Chobe filling the Botswana food basket.

Ms Manake said raised  concern that Botswana’s key commodities such as agricultural produce from Pandamatenga were exported raw and unprocessed.

She therefore urged stakeholders in Chobe to come together and deliberate on the use of the 107 000ha Kakolwane plains, which she said had potential to change lives in the district and beyond.

Ms Manake also implored different ministries and the private sector to unite in ensuring the construction of the 307km Mosetse-Kazungula Railway line for use as a trade route.

She said the railway line was one of the important routes for the Pandamatenga Special Economic Zone.

“You should look beyond the borders to create regional value chains and be better positioned to exploit market opportunities offered by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which comprise 55 countries estimated at 1.3 billion consumers and a combined GDP of US$3.4 trillion,” she said.

For his part, National Development Bank (NDB) acting chief executive officer, Mr Jerry Mwendapole said the bank’s annual investment in Pandamatenga had grown from P8.5 million in 1987 to P174 million during the 2021/22 ploughing season.

Mr Mwendapole said Pandamatenga’s total portfolio stood at P129 million.

He said NDB continued to implement its mandate in line with government’s agenda of economic diversification, food security, employment creation as well as achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

On food security, he said NDB had for the past 10 years invested a total of P2.2 billion in different agricultural sub-sectors comprising P1.2 billion in arable farming, P763 million in livestock production, P154 million in horticulture, P18 million in poultry and the remaining in other sub-sectors.

He said Pandamatenga commercial farms, which the bank supported on annual basis contributed annual grain production of up to 44 336 tonnes during the 2020/21 financial year.

On employment creation, Mr Mwendapole said Pandamatenga employed 925 people. ENDS