18 Jul 2023

Ministry of Agriculture is in the process of advertising a tender for the allocation of unused farms, quarantines and livestock multiplication units.

Assistant Minister of Agriculture, Mr Molebatsi Molebatsi told Parliament Friday that it followed an erroneous advertisement floated in May 2022 requesting interested parties to express interest in the utilisation of these unused facilities. 

He added that the said expression of interest had been cancelled.

Mr Molebatsi said the ministry was partnering with research and academic institutions in order to improve agricultural production.

He said they included institutions such as Botswana International University of Science Technology (BIUST), University of Botswana (UB), National Agricultural Research and Development Institute (NARDI), Botswana Institute for Technology, Research and Innovation (BITRI) and Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (BUAN) amongst others.

With specific reference to BUAN, he said the ministry had signed a memorandum of understanding with the university for conducting research at Lobu small stock farm which involved the co-funding of four graduate students.

Nata-Gweta MP, Mr Polson Majaga had asked the minister about the progress in allocating the ministry's unused farms, quarantines and livestock monitoring units to Batswana.

He also wanted to know whether the ministry was not considering partnering with BUAN for research on improving agricultural production. Ends