Budget for Ministry of Agriculture slashed

MARANYANE NGWANAAMOTHO
Staff Writer | Tuesday March 2, 2010 00:00

During his budget proposal presentation to the Committee of Supply, Acting Minister of Agriculture Oreeditse Molebatsi said the development budget for the 2010/2011 financial year is P295, 380, 000.

This is 34% lower than the current financial year's revised budget of P448 782 510.

He said a larger portion of this amount would be used for crop production.  An amount of P266, 250, 000 is required for the Department of Crop Production and it constitutes 90.1% of the ministry's development estimates.

He explained that P2 million is required to finance the Integrated Programme Support for Arable Agriculture Development (ISPAAD) as well as the Livestock Management and Infrastructure Development Programme (LIMID) under the Agricultural support schemes.

Molebatsi revealed that a total of P45 million is required under the Land Resources Management Programme for infrastructure development at Pandamatenga.

One of the projects to be completed is the Zambezi Integrated Agro-Industry Commercial project, which requires about P16, 750, 000,00.

Molebatsi said computerisation and NAMPAADD implementation activities require about P9, 700, 000,00. This constitutes 3.3% of the Ministry's development budget.  'The Computerisation vote requires P3, 700, 000 for development of a soil and plant analytical system as well as procurement of information technology infrastructure,' he said.

The ministry's facilities programme requires P4 million for construction of plant quarantine structures at Sebele, while P2 million is required under the National master Plan for Arable Agriculture and Dairy Development (NAMPAADD) Programme for construction of staff houses at the Sunnyside production and training farm. 

He revealed that a total of P9, 286, 000 is needed for research laboratories, technician and industrial class housing and ostrich research programme. An ostrich research project under the National Food Technology Research Centre requires a sum of P5, 100, 000.

He said that other activities such as the Animal Disease Emergency Control Programme, the completion of the hatchery development at Dibete and the electrification of fifteen staff houses will require about P5 million.

Molebatsi announced that the ministry's budget proposal for the financial year 2010/2011 under the recurrent budget is P849, 672, 290. The proposal is seven percent (7%) lower than the current year's approved allocation.

It is said that the decrease emanates mainly from the global economic recession, which calls for tightening expenditure controls.