the monitor

Agriculture sector’s downtrend continues

Trying times: The El Nino phenomenon is expected to return this year, drying up the rain season and raising the occurrence of heat waves
Trying times: The El Nino phenomenon is expected to return this year, drying up the rain season and raising the occurrence of heat waves

Worries are mounting as Botswana’s agricultural sector continues to be buffeted by year in and year out crop and livestock failure rates, limiting its contribution to the economy.

Between its prime years as the country’s central economic activity, the contribution of agriculture to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has dropped from 40% in 1966 to just three percent last year.

GDP is a widely used measure of economic output and activity. While government has mounted sterling efforts to resuscitate the sector, these have been met with growing climate challenges.

Editor's Comment
Micro-procurement maze demands urgent reform

Whilst celebrating milestones in inclusivity, with notably P5 billion awarded to vulnerable groups, the report sounds a 'siren' on a dangerous and growing trend: the ballooning use of micro-procurement. That this method, designed for small-scale, efficient purchases, now accounts for a staggering 25% (P8 billion) of total procurement value is not a sign of agility, but a 'red flag'. The PPRA’s warning is unequivocal and must be...

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