This was revealed by CEO of the research and technology organisation, Professor Julius Atlhopheng, when appearing before Parliament’s Statutory Bodies Committee last week. He told Parliamentarians that the institute is making notable progress in climate-smart agriculture, with new seed varieties expected to reach the market soon. Atlhopheng highlighted that NARDI’s research is increasingly focused on producing crops that can withstand extreme weather conditions while also improving nutritional value for consumers. “We have seeds that have grown and we will be having the first product soon,” he told the Public Accounts Committee-like hearing.
The CEO stated that beyond crop development, NARDI is also expanding its agro-processing footprint through its division, NAPRO, which has already introduced products such as the probiotic drink “Hupa” and harvest products that are currently available on the market. However, Atlhopheng acknowledged that production capacity remains constrained due to manual systems and limited agricultural output from farmers. He said they are looking at exploring partnerships with the Letsema Horticultural Market to improve supply chains and scale up production. NARDI has also trained 1,500 farmers in various agricultural innovations as part of efforts to strengthen technology transfer and improve productivity across the agricultural value chain.
