06 Nov 2023

Botswana Prison Service, through its food security strategy, aspires to utilise all land and resources at its disposal to produce enough food to cater for prisoners’ dietary needs in the country.

Speaking during President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi’s visit to Letlhakane Prison Farm on Friday, Commissioner Dinah Marathe, said the aim of the Prison Food Security Strategy was for the organisation to attain food self-sufficiency and also use excess production to contribute to the National Food Basket.

To achieve the initiative, Ms Marathe said they had already drilled and equipped boreholes in various stations such as Letlhakane, Mahalapye, Machaneng, Molepolole and Ghanzi prisons for increased food production opportunities. She therefore supported the President’s strategic decision he took to restrict importation of selected vegetables.

“This has worked in our nations favour as it has stimulated interests in horticulture production, especially production of non-traditional varieties and herbs. We have also jumped into the bandwagon as the service as we have also introduced herb production and other non-traditional vegetables such as lettuce, broccoli and cucumber among others,” she said.

The commissioner further said Botswana Prison Service had so far managed to attain self-sufficiency in vegetable production, where during the first half of the current financial year produced 340 tonnes of vegetables and 59 tonnes of sorghum and pulses, which she said saved government about P2 250 945.95.

Letlhakane Prison Farm sits on 224 hectares of land, out of which 33 ha is currently used for dryland farming, half a hactor for citrus crops, 1.75 ha for horticulture under drip irrigated farming and 1ha for poultry production, while 175.75 ha has been dedicated to livestock farming.

The remaining 13 ha has been used for developments such as the administration block, staff quarters, and rehabilitation and recreation facilities.

In preparation for the current ploughing season, Ms Marathe said they had recently increased their rain fed ploughing hactorage by 10ha out of which 3ha had been reserved for watermelon and 2ha for butternut production.She noted that watermelons were doing well in the Letlhakane area, adding that last year alone, they managed to produce 10 tonnes of watermelons through dryland farming, hence the decision to increase production this year.

“We have realised that we need not only rely on rain fed agriculture, hence we have started the process of acquiring high-technology irrigation equipment for this farm,” she said.

Ms Marathe also said future development at the Letlhakane Prison Farm would include introduction of game farming with the aim to capacitate inmates with skills needed to keep game in small farms to sustain themselves upon completion of their sentences.In that regard, Ms Marathe said they had engaged Department of Wildlife and National Parks to assist, and the department had already assessed the farm and further pledged a donation of five zebras, five elands, five impalas, five kudus and five gemsboks. ENDS