15 Nov 2023

Temo Letlotlo is a multi-sectoral programme intended to revitalise arable farming towards a more commercial approach, and use agriculture as a drive to attain the country’s high income status.

Addressing members of the media about the programme Tuesday, Minister of Agriculture, Mr Fidelis Molao said Temo Letlotlo was an output based arable agricultural programme, as opposed to the Integrated Support Programme for Arable Agriculture Development (ISPAAD) which was an input based programme.

He added that Temo Letlotlo changed the way farmers had been practicing arable farming.

“This programme is mindset change in practice, as it is intended to promote the spirit of self-reliance amongst Batswana, for them to believe that they have the potential to produce food, for their families and the nation as a way to do away with the hand-outs mentality,” said the minister.

For this reason, he said for the success of the programme, the ministry would embark on an initiative to engage more agricultural demonstrators and private agriculturalists to augment officers and provide extension services. 

In addition, he said the ministry would also ensure intense monitoring of the programme.

The minister said under the newly launched programme, ‘the more a farmer produces, the farmer will be rewarded and the reward will be in the form that the farmer can be able to use it to upgrade their farming even further’.

To ensure national food security, Minister Molao said each farmer would be required to contribute one bag per hectare, of their produce, towards the country’s strategic grain reserve for government to distribute across the country during  times of need.

The ministry, he said was working in collaboration with other ministries and stakeholders, to ensure successful implementation of the programme. 

He also noted that the ministry was also working on a communication plan on the programme which would be rolled out soon. “We are already upon the ploughing season, hence it is very important to communicate and communicate effectively and be on the look out to give as much information as you can, to keep communicating and keep knocking and asking for information that can teach and inform those that can benefit from this programme, so that they can utilise it to their full potential.

I believe the lessons from COVID-19 have awaken us and through adoption of the Reset and Reclaim Agenda’s mindset change farmers out there will make use of this programme to improve food security in the country and for the betterment of their livelihoods,” said Minister Molao.

Temo Letlotlo, Minister Molao said would promote household food security by ensuring that micro-scale farmers produce enough to contribute significantly to household food consumption needs, as well as promote commercial production of grain by improving access by crop producers to inputs, credit and other essential services.

Further, he said the programme also promoted inclusivity in agricultural production by building rain fed agricultural production systems through facilitation of financial access to all commercially-focused farmers and improvement of social capital base by promoting collective bargaining of rain fed producers.

Temo Letlotlo advisor, Mr Kwenantle Gaseitsiwe said Temo Letlotlo was a wealth creation agricultural programme. He encouraged farmers to come forth and register online for the programme to improve their livelihoods.

To mitigate challenges such as natural disasters and associated risks, he said government, through the Ministry of Finance, came up with Agriculture Credit Guarantee Scheme (ACGS) for natural disaster insurance. 

The scheme, he said had now been broadened to also cover both small and large scale farmers.

National Development Bank (NDB) chief executive officer, Ms Ogone Madisa encouraged farmers to ‘be more output driven and have aspirations that we can produce food for ourselves, as Batswana’. 

She encouraged farmers to take advantage of seasonal loans offered by NDB, as part of key implementation of Temo Letlotlo programme.

As an inclusive programme that does not want to leave no one behind, Temo Letlotlo has the potential to ensure national food security, Ministry of Agriculture acting deputy permanent secretary, Mr Andrew Moipopi said. Ends