11 Nov 2025

Government aims to raise agriculture’s contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from the current two per cent to at least six per cent in the immediate term, while ensuring greater rural development and agro-processing opportunities.

This was said by President Advocate Duma Boko when delivering his second State-of-the-Nation Address on Monday. Central to this vision, he said, was a renewed focus on livestock production, targeting an increase in the national herd from the current 1.7 million to five million by 2030.

He noted that livestock contributed a significant share of the agricultural GDP and anchored rural livelihoods. The President pointed out that the national cattle herd has declined from three million in the 1970s to the current 1.7 million, with off-take rates at six per cent against a recommended 15 per cent.

He acknowledged that persistent challenges, including disease outbreaks, recurring droughts, poor land management, and production inefficiencies such as low calving rates and high mortality rates, have eroded productivity.

In response, he said government launched a beef sector productivity programme in August to enhance extension support services. These include animal health inspections, reproductive diagnostics, artificial insemination, and farmer training in sustainable livestock management.

Through a partnership with the Green Climate Fund, he said government was implementing the Rangeland Restoration Project, launched in Tsabong in May so as to improve rangeland resilience and sustainability. The project targets communal farmers as part of efforts to restore grazing areas and achieve the five million-herd goal.

President Boko announced that the Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) had shown positive signs of recovery, with payment turnaround times improved from several months to seven days.

He added that the recently launched Direct Cattle Procurement Scheme in Ngamiland allowed farmers to be paid instantly, addressing longstanding market access challenges in the region.

On dairy production, the President said government had developed a strategy for the sector through Milk Valley, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Botswana Development Corporation. He said local milk production currently met 13 per cent of national demand, with plans to increase this to over 60 per cent by next year. 

To support this goal, he revealed that government recently completed a mission to Brazil to secure the importation of 1,000 Girolando cattle, with technical partnerships being finalised to ensure skills transfer and project success.

He said recognising feed availability as critical to the dairy value chain, government was finalising out-grower programme guidelines to engage contract farmers around Lobatse, with future expansion planned across other regions once a sustainable business model was established.

President Boko reported that during the 2024/25 cropping season, planted area increased by 34.2 per cent compared to the previous season, yielding an estimated 144,000 tonnes a significant rise from 39,795 tonnes in 2023/24.

He said this achievement aligned with the Umbrella for Democratic Change manifesto objective of tripling national food production.

Despite climate challenges such as droughts, pests, floods, and bushfires that cause annual losses of up to 5,000 tonnes, he said Botswana was shifting toward climate-resilient farming.

Horticultural output also rose to 88 670 tonnes from 2 400 hectares, including 77 398 tonnes of vegetables and 11 272 tonnes of fruits, meeting 80 per cent of national vegetable demand and 29 per cent of fruit demand, he said. 

President Boko further said was pursuing a policy shift to enable the licit cultivation and use of industrial hemp and medicinal cannabis.

To this end, Hemp Innovations, a global company with expertise in the field, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with government to work with BUAN and NARDI on research and pilot production, he said. 

He said the project would start with trials at BUAN before expanding to local farmers, once the Cannabis Act and related regulations were fully operational. Pilot cultivation is expected to begin in December 2025, under strict oversight from relevant authorities, he said. BOPA