Leshibitse area has unique opportunities due to the abundance of groundwater and good arable soils, Parliament has heard. Responding to a question in Parliament on behalf of Minister of Lands and Agriculture on Wednesday, Minister of Water and Human Settlement, Mr Onneetse Ramogapi said government had, as such, established the Leshibitse cluster and provided fence, electricity and borehole yielding 50 cubic metres per hour. 

Minister Ramogapi stated that in July last year, Parliament adopted a motion to consider declaring that Leshibitse village a horticultural economic area to further recognise the uniqueness of the production area.  He noted that as a private led economy, the area would be developed in partnership with the private sector and the intention being to attract investors who would undertake agro-processing in the area. That, he said, would be undertaken within the framework of the existing government policies and programmes leveraging development that had already been provided in the area. 

He also indicated that when Phase-2 of the project started, the ministry would, in line with its mandate, support the project, adding that farmers in Leshibitse and catchment continued and had benefited from government support programmes such as Lemang Dijo, Horticultural Impact Accelerator (IAS) and cluster fencing as well as electrification dispensation. 

In addition, he said there were approved Botswana Economic Transformation Programme (BETP) projects for horticultural production in the area which had not started but resource mobilisation was ongoing. 

He further also said as a special agricultural area, Leshibitse would not only be a benchmark for production but also for technology innovation and the ministry would adopt the use of climate smart technologies such as Green Houses, green energy systems, solar panel systems, and minimum tillage systems to enhance production in the area.  Member of Parliament for Kgatleng West, Dr Unity Dow had asked the minister whether he was aware of the special and unique opportunity presented by the motion adopted in Parliament that Leshibitse be declared a special agricultural area and its subsequent inclusion in the BETP and how he planned to operationalise the motion. 

Dr Dow also asked whether he would support Phase-2 of the Parliamentarians for the Climate Finance Project Botswana, if so how. ENDS