02 Feb 2026

The Botswana Prisons Service (BPS) is on a quest to fill the BPS’ silos with abundant grain this ploughing season.
Already, Molepolole Prisons, which has a 400-hectare farm, has planted 93 hectares of maize and three hectares of lablab while another three hectares of maize was yet to planted.
In Mahalapye, 40 hectares of sorghum have been planted while 38 hectares in Machaneng and 28 hectares at Letlhakane have been planted while a target of 101 hectares of sorghum was to be ploughed.
“We have also planted 40 hectares of beans in Tsabong and we also have have an egg farm as well, while in Tshane we have planted 20 hectares,” said Botswana Prisons Service Commissioner, Mr Anthony Mokento during Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Mr Nelson Ramaotwana’s tour of Molepolole Prisons recently.
He said if the rains could remain consistent, they aimed to atleast produce 3 000 bags of maize, which would be enough to feed all the 23 prisons nationwide, but if not, they should at least produce two thirds of the expected harvest.
He was however optimistic that the harvest would be enough to feed the 4 497 prisoners nationwide.
He highlighted that the notion of ploughing was to equip prisoners with farming knowledge so as to use the skill once they released from prison.
“Our plan is to make prisoners produce food for themselves instead of relying on government coffers since the economy is struggling. Today, the minister came to assess how we were progressing since we ploughed earlier this season,” Mr Mokento said.
For his part, Assistant Superintendent Mooketsi Lesego said the planted hectares in Molepolole were a stepping stone of a bigger dream to turn BPS as a hub for food security.
As BPS, he said they made a choice to use hybrid varieties of white maize; SC555 which made 50 hectares and 42 hectares of SC419, which were drought resistant and high yielding.
“We sowed SC555 so that we can give it enough time to grow because it is medium maturing variety and SC419 is early maturing so that we are able to maximise yield within the area that we have. We also have three hectares ‘highworth’ variety of lablab, which is the common variety that we usually grow here and it is a highly performing and we also have the remaining five hectares from which three hectares is yet to be grown SC555 to make it 53 hectares and the two hectares we have spared it for yellow maize (SC503),” said Mr Lesego.
He said majority of the SC503 was going to be crushed with sunflower to feed guinea fowls in Letlhakane and used for livestock mix.
In addition, he said they kept various breeds of livestock, cattle, goats and sheep that also helped them with meat and milk.
However, he said they were rearing a lesser number of livestock, though various breeds, because their main focus was to help inmates to be fully acquainted with diversified knowledge and skills of managing an array of breeds to help them make wise choices when they joined the society and wanted to venture into farming.
Mr Lesego also said most of the time they auctioned the livestock when it multiplied.
Last year, he said they auctioned livestock worth more than half a million Pula.
For his part, Minister Ramaotwana appreciated BPS’ efforts to fill BPS’ silos with grain during this ploughing season.
Besides bagging in cash into the government coffers, he said auctioning also gave Batswana an opportunity to have good breeds, thus helping to improve the quality of their livestock. ENDS