The Department of Agricultural Research has observed that though farming is done in all parts of the country, some commodities are produced under environments that are difficult for their optimal performance. This in turn disables effective use of meager human resource hence the need to farm according to agro-ecology and social acceptance. The director, Pharaoh Mosupi said at a workshop of researchers to address the challenges of agricultural production that it is important to centre each commodity where they perform better. He added that in addition to quality yield that would be achieved it would also curb situations where experts are posted to areas where their expertise would not be fully utilised.
“Hence the establishment of centres of excellence for each commodity is very crucial,” he said. He added that researchers from the Mahalapye research centre should focus on improving the production of water melons in Tswapong region because the social acceptance, the zeal and willingness is already there among farmers in Tswapong region. “We now need to come strong on the agro-economic aspect of water melons in the region to enhance the yield. We must go in full force and make the environment more conducive,” he said.
