07 Mar 2023

 Member of Parliament for Good Hope/Mabule, Mr Eric Molale says government should provide a conducive environment as well as adequate infrastructure and better connectivity to enable the agricultural sector to grow.

“Investing on agriculture is key to attain sustainable food security therefore it is important to create an enabling environment for the prosperity of the agricultural sector,” Mr Molale said in his comments on the Ministry of Agriculture’s budget estimates for the 2023/2024 financial year on March 6.

He was of the view that government needed to invest on infrastructure development that supported the sector’s growth such as transportation and logistics.

“Infrastructure and utilities like electricity, road network and telecommunication services are essential towards creating a conducive economic environment that will benefit the transformation of agriculture.

Such infrastructure development will lure in the young generation into farming and encourage agriculture succession plain generationally,” Mr Molale.

He added that development of roads and other infrastructures particularly to farms, would also enable easy accessibility of farm products to the market.

Mr Molale also pleaded with farmers to refrain from grazing their animals in ploughing fields post harvesting periods.

Contributing to the debate, Vice President, also Boteti West MP, Mr Slumber Tsogwane applauded the role that agriculture played in the country’s economy both pre and post-independence.

“Agriculture, particularly the beef sector has been the backbone of the country’s economy from yesteryear hence the establishment the Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) which plays a significant role towards the country’s foreign reserves generated through the beef exportation,” said Mr Tsogwane.

He said government had through the Botswana Vaccine Institution (BVI) made strides on the manufacturing and exportation of animal vaccines in efforts to control livestock diseases.

He argued that Botswana was no stranger to vaccine manufacturing as she had for years been manufacturing relevant livestock vaccines and providing services of the highest quality using the best technology and skilled manpower, something he said was in line with the attainment of government’s Reset Agenda.

Mr Tsogwane highlighted the need to develop an array of facilities and trained personnel to fully accomplish the vaccine production aspiration as well as be ready for any animal disease outbreak.

In other issues, he said the recent rationalisation of some government departments which culminated in the transfer of BMC from the Ministry of Agriculture to that of entrepreneurship was evidence of government’s intentions to commercialise the beef industry.

For his part, Serowe South legislator, Mr Baratiwa Mathoothe pleaded with the ministry to channel more funds towards agriculture extension officers.

He said adequate resourcing of agriculture extension officers will ensure close monitoring of agricultural projects. ENDS