Moshupa hold inaugural agriculture show
Lebogang Baingapi | Tuesday July 25, 2017 16:01
During the first ever Moshupa Agricultural Show on Friday, Masisi argued that the use of new farming methods and mechanisms would enhance food production. He called on the farmers to benchmark from other countries to improve their way of breeding livestock and crop production. “Gone are the days when we used to take agriculture as a part-time job, or shift to the older people.
As our yield increased this year due to heavy rains, we need to come up with appealing packaging methods to penetrate the global market,” Masisi said. Masisi was of the view that Batswana should be informed and educated about what to plough during heavy rains and lowest rains.
“We should be up-to-date with integrated farming to be on the safe side even during the lowest rains. Another issue is to reduce crime in the region to attract investors in the agricultural sector. The truth is, we also need investors who can add value to our agriculture,” Masisi said. He further urged the show organisers to come with ways to improve the show in future.
The secretary of Moshupa District Farmers Committee Pinky Selotlego revealed in an interview this was their first ever show, as before they used to only participate in the Kanye Agricultural Show. Selotlego said they intended to make the show an annual event with the help of sponsors and commitment from farmers.
“The show was a success and went beyond our imagination. However, we will engage more sponsors and different government departments to improve the show even further,” she said. He called on the business community to sponsor the show to improve the agricultural sector and improve food security.
The show brought together about 150 exhibitors in different categories ranging from fruits and vegetables, legumes, packaging, livestock, manufacturing and major stakeholders in the agricultural sector such as Botswana Agricultural Marketing Board and National Food Technology Research Centre.