10 Nov 2026

President Advocate Duma Boko says Botswana’s focus on food production is shifting towards achieving higher yields on fewer hectares rather than allocating more funds to ploughing larger areas, as the nation seeks to strengthen food security and cushion itself against severe El Niño weather patterns.

Delivering the State-of-the-Nation Address in Gaborone Monday, President Boko noted that the strategy was already yielding positive results through the Lemang Dijo programme, which aimed to transform the country into a high-yield agricultural producer.

“In the last season, we distributed 74 846 Lemang Dijo vouchers valued at P191 million, resulting in 64 295 hectares planted nationwide,” he said.

The President commended Mr Tlou Omphemetse of Moshaweng village alongside 11 top-performing farmers from Nswazwi, Tutume, Mokatako, Gasita, Mopipi and Sese North, who harvested over four tonnes per hectare.

That accomplishment, he stated, demonstrated how Lemang Dijo was turning Botswana into a high-yield producer. 

He emphasised that a small-farm and ultra-high-yield approach would be crucial to weathering the harsh impacts of El Niño.

On the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak in Zones 11 and 13, President Boko said the outbreak dealt a severe blow to the beef industry, halting exports and reducing abattoir offtake to 4 725 tonnes against a target of 70 000 tonnes.

In response, to fight the outbreak, he said the government deployed P97 million in emergency funding and also continued to commit additional resources. 

“Through rezoning and intensified surveillance, we are restoring Botswana’s FMD-free status,” he added.

He thanked the citizens, farmers, businesses and communities for uniting with a singular purpose to protect the national herd, during the outbreak, saying their patriotism demonstrated that the country’s strength laid in its people.

Furthermore, President Boko revealed that as at September 30 this year, dairy cows had been imported for Milk Valley Farm in Lobatse, bringing the farm’s total herd to 874, following his pronouncement, last year, on the planned importation of 1 000 elite Girolando dairy cows from Brazil. 

He said the farm was targeting approximately 15 million litres of milk, annually, at full operational capacity, with potential to meet up to 23 per cent of the national milk demand. Beyond milk production, the President said the strategic investment would support local feed supply chains, dairy processing, skills development and broader citizen participation in the agriculture value chain.

Regarding the poultry sector, President Boko expressed delight that the sector continued to perform exceptionally well and had started to export. In July 2026, he said one local producer achieved a historic milestone by exporting the first consignment of hatching eggs to Mozambique.

During the 2025/2026 financial year export season, he said citrus was the main plant-and-plant-products commodity exported, accounting for approximately 10 500 tonnes, representing 20 per cent of total exports of the sub-sector. 

He added that Botswana’s citrus fruits were mainly exported to the European Union, Asia, North America and other parts of Africa. ENDS