Dear farmers: It's your time to blossom

Mmegi Editor | Friday October 16, 2020 16:11

Agriculture has however failed to be a key contributor to the country’s economy.

Yet now, in the midst of the Coronavirus, when all other sectors are collapsing, Agriculture has raised its hand to rescue the situation, being the only sector to record growth in the second quarter.

Earlier this year, when briefing members of the media about impact of COVID-19 on the economy, Finance Minister, Thapelo Matsheka said Agriculture would be prioritised to accelerate the country’s capacity in food production, as part of government’s response to the virus and its economic recovery plan. He further said government is looking at a number of options and ways to prioritize some projects over others, including investing in irrigation and food production areas. On another level, President Mokgweetsi Masisi has also encouraged Batswana to seriously consider venturing into small stock production as it has significant potential even on the international market. He has since started an initiative where he goes around the country donating bucks and rams to farmers to encourage them on the same. Masisi has also started hosting meetings at agro-tourism establishments around the country as a way of supporting farmers as well as demonstrating to Batswana that indeed agriculture is profitable.

This is notwithstanding the billions of Pula that have been spent in various agricultural initiatives over the years, the inputs programme ISPAAD, the Livestock Management and Infrastructure Development Programme, near-annual drought relief initiatives and others. And yet to date Botswana, still does not produce enough maize, sorghum and wheat for itself. This year is different however. Not only is government fully supportive of farmers, from the President downwards, but the gods are also smiling over the fields and plentiful rains are forecast for the upcoming season. Thanks to its stand-out performance in second quarter, agriculture has shown that it has the potential to support the economy in these difficult times.  Funding entities like CEDA are also on standby to receive applications around Agriculture and the potential for profits for the sector is huge. The food security deficit alone in cereals and various livestock products such as beef, pork, milk and others clearly demonstrates that a business case can clearly be made for agricultural financiers such as CEDA. We also take this opportunity to urge government to move away from being rigid in their policies and help Batswana explore new revenue avenues such as hemp farming. If we have desire to see agriculture do better, we should be ready to listen to Batswana and explore new avenues. The government should also demonstrate its readiness to only buy supplies from locals as this will motivate them to do better and eventually meet the required standards of export quality.

Today’s thought

“Agriculture is our wisest pursuit, because

it will in the end contribute most to real wealth, good morals, and happiness”

– Thomas Jefferson