15 Aug 2022

Farmers’ commitment is critical to transformation of  the agricultural sector.

Speaking during the official opening of Moshupa Sub-district show held over the weekend, under the theme: Economic Recovery Driven by Digitalisation post COVID-19, Minister of Entrepreneurship, Mr Karabo Gare said the show marked an important milestone in the development of agricultural entrepreneurship in the district.

“This theme is commensurate with government commitment to agricultural transformation and poverty eradication strategies,” he said.

Economic recovery, he said was necessary to speed up transformation across all sectors as per the President’s Reset Agenda.

“Digitalisation has immense potential to unlock and enable high productivity among people,” he said.

He said district shows were important tools used by government to interact and guide farmers on various technologies across the agricultural sector, adding that the show “is also a window for the business community to show case their products”.

Mr Gare highlighted that despite its declining contribution, agriculture was one of the sectors that had been identified as an avenue for economic diversification, value chain management and creation of employment.

“A good number of people in Botswana earn their livelihood from agriculture as farmers and agricultural employees,” he said.

Furthermore, he said successful performance of the agricultural sector had the potential to address challenges of food security and poverty.

Mr Gare urged all farmers to shift from subsistence farming to commercial.

He said the climatic changes had challenged the current crop varieties and breeds used, hence the need for all involved to come up with improved crop and animal husbandry technologies that would cope with the present conditions and enable better quality agricultural produce.

Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) chief executive officer, Mr David Tsheboeng said the country faced challenges of declining numbers of cattle, noting that there were different government programmes that farmers could employ to arrest the situation.

“The government is working tirelessly to ensure that cattle herd increases and farmers have to take advantage of that,” he said.

Having survived COVID-19, he said, it was therefore time to work hard to return the sector to its glory days.

He said successful management in farming needed proper record keeping as that would assist to know when to carry out some activities such as vaccination, adding that some markets needed all information on animals being  bought and record keeping would assist in that regard.

Mr Tsheboeng said regular communication between BMC and farmers was vital, hence his call for farmers to have committees that the organisation could keep in touch with regarding necessary information to be passed to farmers as well as from them to the BMC.

The show’s committee chairperson, Mr Kagiso Maswabi said the event aimed to revive agriculture in the district and grow other businesses.

He said since the economy was affected by COVID-19, they intended to use the show to boost the economy, noting that economic activities were halted for some time due to the pandemic hence the need for all to play their part in economic recovery.

“It seems like COVID-19 will be there for some time, we therefore have to find ways to live with it,” he said.

“We aim to sensitise farmers to employ technology in all their farming activities until the end products reach the consumers,” he said. He added that it was evident that technology was vital in the success of the sector.

Mr Maswabi said the show started in 2017 and he believed it would grow year by year.

However, he said there was need for sponsors to assist in growing it.

“I urge different organisations to come on board and work with us in growing the show as it has the potential to boost many sectors hence meaningfully contributing to the economy,” he added.

Different exhibitors brought products such as a variety of birds, cattle, goats, sheep, grains and horticulture products. Different organisations had stalls to bring their services and products closer to the community.  ENDS