Milk industry 95% dependent on imports

Correspondent | Thursday June 5, 2014 11:12

To address this shortage, Rabasha said last year the government came up and implemented a strategy that focuses on development of the appropriate dairy support infrastructure.

In the strategy, ‘Viable Competitive and Profitable Dairy sector’  the MOA has set a local milk production target of  six million litres per annum  up from the current output of 2.4 million litres. Currently national demand stands at 48 million litres. “The country is not able to meet the target due to the challenges that we have, hence continues to import such products to meet the local demand,” Rabasha said.

The strategy has seven pillars which includes a well functioning value chain and clusters, strategic dairy farm areas, strategic fodder production zones, appropriate dairy support infrastructure, availability of dairy cattle, dairy market access and enabling environment for the dairy sector. “The Ministry continues to implement some of the pillars despite limited resources,” said Rabasha. Furthermore Rabasha noted that the dairy production could help increase employment creation, reduce poverty and contribute to economic diversification.

In the meantime, the Ministry has engaged on building capacity of farmers to run their business. A total of 707 farmers were trained on farm management skills, which includes keeping business records, development of business plans and agricultural marketing. In addition small farmers are assisted to form groups and a total of 22 Agricultural Management Associations were registered in the past year. Groups that access ISPAAD and LIMID are trained and assisted to develop their constitutions and a total of 120 constitutions were reviewed.

Access of both local and international markets is facilitated through provision of market outlets and trade negotiations. The Ministry forms part of the negotiation team that is negotiating the SADC-EPA to maintain free access of Botswana beef to the European Union, SACU-EFTA to maintain the favourable conditions that allow Botswana beef in Norway and the SADC-EAC COMESA commonly referred to as Tripartite to ensure that local produce is not displayed by produce from the Eastern African Community or COMESA in the market.

The ministry reports that to date 4,876 agricultural poverty eradication projects have been implemented, with 2,492 backyard gardens completed, 1,787 smalls stock projects established, 492 Tswana Chicken projects in place, 112 conservation farming and 135 beekeeping projects running. The biggest challenge for backyard gardens has been water, to that end funds have been transferred to Water Utilities Corporation to convert post-paid meters to prepaid meters.