Food production miserably fails national demand

Baboki Kayawe | Friday October 14, 2016 17:00

 

Botswana’s dairy production is characterised by a long-standing milk supply deficit with the import bill for the consumer stable standing at P147.9 million, Mmegi has learnt.  Local dairy producers are failing to meet the 60 million litres national demand, only falling at a measly 4.9 million annually.

This was revealed by Minister of Agricultural Development and Food Security, Patrick Ralotsia at the World Food Day commemorated yesterday at Adam’s Apple Farm in Mochudi. 

The dairy sub-sector has a long history of struggle despite government incentives to breathe life into it through various initiatives such as the dairy strategy. Through the initiative, government was expected to provide local farmers with sexed semen procured in the United Kingdom since 2014.

“As a country we are in deficit in most of the commodities, hence the import bill that stand at P147.9 million from the agricultural sector from the period April to August this year. Such commodities include milk, honey, goat meat, mutton, horticultural produce, pork, cereal and poultry,” Ralotsia said.

In respect to beef production, Ralotsia explained that the purchase level stood at 91, 513 cattle of the expected 125,000 by end of September, representing a 73% of this years’ projected production.

“Off-take from 2015/16 during the same period was 124,945 cattle indicating a decline of 26.8%,” he added.

As part of increasing access of beef to lucrative markets, the ministry is said to be on track with the implementation of the Botswana Animal Identification and Traceback System as well as maintaining disease control fences.  To date, 615km of disease control fences have been maintained with over 80% of cattle identified.

On the other hand, demand for horticultural products is at 90,000 tons with the country only producing 47,539 tons in the period 2014/15, and mid-term production results for 2016/17 standing at 22, 896.73 tons. This translates to 25% of national horticulture demand.   The 2014/15 ploughing season saw 90,317 tons of cereal produced against the national demand of 30,000 tons.

“To date a total 45,826. 23 tons of cereal has been harvested with commercial farmers accounting for 85% of the total production,” Ralotsia said.