25 Feb 2014

Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Mr Kenneth Matambo says government has since 2003 allocated more than 10 per cent of the national budget to the agriculture sector and rural development.

Answering a question in Parliament on Monday, February 24, he said Botswana had successfully adhered to the commitment of African Union’s 2003 Maputo Declaration on agriculture and food security.

The commitment was to the effect that member states must allocate 10 percent of their national budgets to agriculture and rural development. “The combined allocation to agriculture and rural development has always been above the 10 per cent commitment level for the past 10 years,” said the minister.

According to Mr Matambo, in financial years 2004/05, 2008/09 and 2009/10, government allocated approximately 17 per cent of the national budget to the ministries of Agriculture and Local Government. The lowest figure was in financial year 2012/13 when the two ministries received 13.6 per cent.

“Government is still committed to making agricultural sector a productive sector for economic diversification, food security and employment, through appropriate investment and policy interventions.

Such investments and policy interventions shall not only be confined to agriculture proper, but also to those sectors which are inter-linked with it,” he said.

Minister Matambo said when initiatives such as the Young Farmers Fund and other agriculture loans funding under the Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency (CEDA) were put in consideration, the allocation to the agriculture sector increased significantly.

Member of Parliament for Kgalagadi North, Mr Phillip Khwae had asked the minister to state whether Botswana was part of the commitment, and if so, how much had been allocated to the cause in the national budget from 2003 to 2013. Ends