11 Feb 2025

The new government is committed to a bold and transformative agricultural strategy geared towards optimal land use, enhancing labour productivity, food security and high value agriculture driven by adoption of technology and forging domestic and export competitiveness.

In his maiden budget speech, the Minister of Finance, Mr Ndaba Gaolathe said government would strengthen agriculture’s linkages with key sectors such as manufacturing to create value-added opportunities.

“A major shift in our approach will be revamping the agricultural subsidy system, moving away from supporting inputs to incentivising higher output and productivity,” he said.
Minister Gaolathe said a top priority would be to develop a comprehensive Agriculture Financing Strategy to improve access to capital for farmers and agribusinesses.

Furthermore, he said they would focus on developing a robust seed production industry to reduce reliance on imports. He said they would also focus on establishing an organic fertilizer industry, reducing dependency on costly imports.

Furthermore, Minister Gaolathe said they would also diversify agricultural production by tapping into high-potential but untapped sub-sectors including HEMP production.

He said their transformation plan would also leverage Botswana’s world-class expertise in cattle breeding to enhance genetics for improved beef production, while also accelerating the growth of dairy farming as a high-value sector. The finance minister said government would also establish a local Commodity Trading Platform to ensure fair pricing for produce.

To support small-scale farmers, he said they would improve their access to supply contracts with large retail chains, an area that has traditionally been difficult to penetrate due to restrictive business practices.

“To this end, we are revising the 1991 National Policy on Agriculture Development to align with this new strategic direction.” he said.

Minister Gaolathe said government recognised cooperatives as a powerful vehicle for agricultural transformation, job creation, rural development, poverty reduction, and food security. He therefore said they would support cooperatives by revamping the institutional and legal framework to build self-reliant entities. ENDS