08 Mar 2023

Government is looking into leasing out eight of the 16 artificial insemination farms to the private sector, Assistant Minister of Agriculture, Mr Molebatsi Molebatsi has said.

Responding to MP’s comments following the debate on the Ministry of Agriculture’s 2023/2024 budget proposals, Mr Molebatsi said preference would be given to young farmers with potential to maximise farm usage.

Regarding a request made by Francistown South MP, Mr Wynter Mmolotsi for government to consider drilling boreholes for farmers, the assistant minister said the insufficient budget would not allow it.

“While government would be pleased with a flourishing arable farming that would that significantly cut on the country’s food import bill, it is not in a position to fund such a development owing to financials constraints,” Mr Molebatsi said.

Mr Mmolotsi had earlier argued that assisting farmers with borehole drilling would augment government’s efforts to achieve food security and be self-sufficient.

“Drilling boreholes would help Batswana to produce food all year round and subsequently reduce the high import bill,” opined MP Mmolotsi.

He argued that the rainy season in the country was unreliable and as such the boreholes would be a good initiative for Batswana to grow crops and produce food for the nation.

“Agricultural development is key to ending hunger, food insecurity and extreme poverty in rural areas.

The main constraints to high yields is scanty fertilisers, low usage of machines and over-reliance on rain-fed farming,” he said.

He said research had shown that crops produced under irrigation yielded double those that relied only on rainfall for growth.

He was also disappointment that Parliament had previously failed to endorse the same motion which had the best interests of Batswana at heart.

Mr Mmolotsi further pleaded with government to invest more on agricultural research and development due to the changing raining seasons, adding there was need to change the traditional seasonal ploughing season.

Further, the legislator argued that the country’s rainfall had turned to be unreliable and erratic thus making it difficult for Batswana to know what to plough and when.

For his part, Ghanzi South legislator, Mr Motsamai Motsamai said research had proved that the Ghanzi region was suitable for leguminous plants and potatoes and therefore government should consider promoting such in his constituency.

Mr Motsamai also implored government to legalise cultivation of industrial hemp for both employment creation and fabric production.

Parliament subsequently approved the Ministry of Agriculture’s proposed budget of over P1.5 billion under recurrent and over P1 billion under development allocations for the 2023/2024 financial year. ENDS