15 Jun 2023

Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (BUAN) and Selebi Phikwe Citrus (SPC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to facilitate knowledge transfer.

“As a University, we have expertise in diverse areas of fruit production and we will therefore work closely with SPC to facilitate knowledge transfer. 

Our students will get access to a world class facility in citrus production, to learn and apply their classroom knowledge in a real-world environment,” said the BUAN Vice Chancellor Prof Ketlhatlogile Mosepele during the signing of MoU in Selebi Phikwe on Monday.

The SPC is the first local flagship citrus project with 800 000 trees including grape fruit, Valencia oranges, lemons and mandarins planted on the 1 500 hectare farm.

The signing of the MoU has yielded mutual agreement in key areas of collaboration such as Industrial attachment for BUAN students, development of a citrus value chain, entrepreneurship development, research and business and investment opportunities.

Prof. Mosepele said the partnership was envisaged to combine the expertise and knowledge of the two and would as a result help reduce production costs through sharing of ideas in the production process.

“I am happy that the emergence of enterprises such as this provide an opportunity for Batswana students to translate the theory they learn in the classroom into practical, real-life experiences,” he said.

He called upon other players in the private sector to open their doors to the youth, graduates and form mutually beneficial partnerships with BUAN to create a better Botswana.

He said the collaboration would facilitate the cultivation of home-grown skills, which would help to make Botswana a food and nutrition secure.

For his part, the director of Buzz, a sister company to Selebi Phikwe Citrus, Mr Thias Taute said the partnership between BUAN and SPC was the beginning of good things to come.

He said the SPC needed an organisation that specialised in training to help train its employees and commended BUAN for coming on board to assist SPC in many areas. 

He added that most of the training they received was from the Citrus Academy through online training material on citrus production.

He said SPC as a new player could also benefit from this training.

Selebi Phikwe Citrus manager, Mr Johan Janse van Vuuren informed BUAN management that SPC had employed four assistant production officers from BUAN as part of the company’s effort to enhance skills transfer. 

The SPC is expecting the first harvest in 2024. ends