08 May 2023

The contribution of agricultural sector to Botswana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has declined from 40 per cent in 1966 and currently averages around three per cent, 80 per cent of which comes from the livestock sector, says the Assistant Minister of Agriculture Mr Molebatsi Molebatsi.

Mr Molebatsi who was speaking at the Mmabothubela farmers day in Maunatlala on Saturday, said the cattle herd population had also been declining over the years from three million cattle in 1979 to 1.7 million as recorded in 2015.

He said calving rates, mortality and off-take rates for cattle had also been poor over the years.

Mr Molebatsi said the current cattle calving rate is at 56 per cent, off-take 7.7 per cent while mortality is at 6.3 per cent.

He, however, said this decline was due to various reasons including, but not limited to, poor animal husbandry practices, which had led to low productivity.

“This is indeed a worrisome trend which I believe needs interventions from all players, especially you farmers”, he said.

Mr Molebatsi nevertheless said in supporting the beef sub- sector his ministry would be taking a bill to Parliament that sought to establish a meat industry regulatory authority, which would liberalise the beef industry and promote competitiveness of the sector.

He said this would allow full participation of all key value chain players in the running of the beef industry and bring about institutional and regulatory reforms in the livestock sector in the country.

He said all these showed commitment and unwavering support of government to the beef industry.

He urged farmers to improve calving rates from the current 56 to 80 per cent, which was the international best practice, saying this was achievable if farmers followed good animal husbandry such as controlling reproductive diseases and providing animals with good nutrition.

Mr Molebatsi said farmers should also practice supplementary feeding because due to frequent drought as a result of climate change it was crucial to have fodder production as part of their enterprise to supplement feeding.

He advised farmers to lower the mortality rate so that they minimised their cost of production and practice good record management of farm operations.

For her part, First Capital Bank CEO, Ms Reinette Van der Merwe said her bank invested over P180 000 towards making the Mmabothubela farmer’s day a reality and through the sponsorship and investment they were demonstrating their dedication to the agricultural community.

She said their confidence was in the sector’s ability to stimulate economic development in Botswana.

She said the importance of farming in Botswana could not be overstated and it was essential that corporates and financial sectors continued to invest in this industry to ensure that it remained sustainable and profitable.

Ms Van der Merwe also said her bank recognised the importance of corporate social responsibility and understood that its success was intertwined with the success of communities in which it operated.

“That is why we are committed to supporting initiatives that promote sustainable development and economic growth,” she said.

She said the bank was committed to supporting initiatives that promoted sustainable farming practices.

Ms Van der Merwe said the event provided an opportunity for experts in the field to exchange knowledge and best practices, which was essential for driving innovation and improving productivity in the sector.

She said it was essential to learn about best practices as well as innovative methods and incorporate them into breeding programmes.

“Artificial insemination and embryo transfer are innovative breeding methods that have proven to be effective in improving the quality of livestock”, she said.

Ms Van der Merwe said these methods could help improve the quality of breeds, increase productivity, and enhance overall value of the sector, adding that her bank recognised the importance of these methods, hence she encouraged farmers to learn and adopt them.

Member of Parliament for Lerala/Maunatlala, Mr Sethabelo Modukanele thanked First Capital Bank for sponsoring the farmers day.

He also thanked the community of Maunatlala for attending the event in large numbers.

The theme of the event was: Putting an Emphasis on Breeding To Revitalise The Multi-Sector Economy. ENDS