20 Jun 2023

African Agriculture (AA) and the National Agricultural Research and Development Institute (NARDI) are engaged in a collaboration to explore rice production in Botswana.

This was announced during the signing of an agreement between the two entities in Gaborone on Monday.

Speaking at the signing ceremony,  the Deputy Permanent Secretary- Corporate Affairs, Ms Tiny Diswai, said one specific area that NARDI and African Agriculture research prioritized was in the cultivation of water-saving and drought-resistant rice, including the promotion of rice planting technology across Botswana.

Ms Diswai said rice was the third most imported cereal and contributed substantially to the country’s escalating food import bill.

“Total imported rice from 2017 was 19, 786 tonnes at a value of P177 million and increased to 28,145 tonnes in 2018 at a value of P257 million. In 2020 it was at 31, 367 tonnes at a value of P282 million with a slight decrease to 27, 393 tonnes in 2021 but a relatively higher value of P295 million --  making 2.9 per cent of the food import bill," she said.

According to Ms Diswai, this underlined the importance of strategic interventions including extensive research and development focused on the improvement and adoption of this non-traditional crop of rice to reduce total dependence on imports.

She explained that NARDI had pursued a strategic partnership with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to facilitate the introduction of rice varieties adapted to Botswana's climatic conditions.

Ms Diswai said African Agriculture brought water-saving drought-resistant rice varieties, which presented a good opportunity for introduction in Botswana.

In addition, she said the expected result of this work on rice was the expansion of new value chains to the mainstream economy, citing that these would include among others, seed systems, farming, agronomy, agro-processing, marketing, and retail.

She said the associated economic spin-offs would add new economic activities, consolidate existing jobs and in addition create new ones.

“Additional local production would lower the trade, logistical, and supply chain risks associated with total rice import dependency and in turn, reduce cereal import bills, and promote food security, and access to safe and nutritious food,” she said.

NARDI's Chief Executive Officer Prof. Julius Atlhopheng said rice production would help diversify livelihoods through the economic diversification drive initiative and improve yield per hectare as well as ensure staple foods varieties.

Prof. Atlhopheng said the partnership would drive research to enable national development, technology and information transfer to enable knowledge-based economic interventions.

For his part, AA's Managing Director, Mr Myles Nan said the collaboration was driven by the shared vision of addressing the shortcomings in Botswana's agriculture technology and establishing a cooperative framework for the country's agriculture development.

Mr Nan said they recognised the importance of enhancing Botswana's agriculture mechanisation while also ensuring that the machinery meets the specific needs and conditions of their diverse farmland.

In this regard, he said AA had taken the initiative to start local assembly, and they had plans to expand production this year, with potential opportunities for exports.

Additionally, Mr Nan said their commitment to agricultural advancement extended to the field of rice cultivation.

"Through our partnership with BUAN, we were on experimental planting in 2020, with initial success observed in Gaborone," he said.

However, he said a comprehensive nationwide trial, was still necessary. The support of Chinese professors and the cooperation of NARDI had further enhanced their confidence. ends