Africa-Press – Botswana. The multi-million Pula Selebi Phikwe Citrus project is a game changer that other farmers involved in citrus fruit production around Selebi Phikwe look up to for potential benefits, says Kwadiwa Ranch Citrus Farm manager, Mr Mario van Roojoy.
The Selebi Phikwe citrus project, spanning more than 889 hectares, is the first of its kind in Botswana from which approximately 70 per cent of its harvest or produce will be exported to international markets, while the remaining portion will be used for local supplies and potentially generating spin-off business opportunities for Batswana.
In an interview at Kwadiwa Ranch Citrus Farm, Mr Roojoy said the Phikwe citrus fruit project was not a threat but a catalyst for mindset change and a step toward objectives to produce a range of citrus fruits that will support citizen empowerment and economic diversification.
He added that the project was also a step to benchmark for potential expansion and high-quality production and it also gave farmers a chance to collaborate to meet the country’s demand for citrus fruits.
“This is the opportunity for farmers to benchmark, discover new approaches that will open doors for future operations that will foster the expansion of small-scale citrus businesses and ultimately lead to the self-sustenance of citrus fruits in the country,” he said.
Mr Roojoy said benchmarking and working collectively also increased creativity, production, and efficiency while enabling farmers to exchange best practices and pinpoint areas in need of improvement.
To hold steadfast and see potential advantages if another business of a similar nature rose, Mr Roojoy highlighted the need to keep an optimistic outlook, saying that was an essential component of any business establishment.
The Kwadiwa Citrus Farm, situated about 130 kilometres south of Selebi Phikwe was also established in 2019, and currently, 30 hectares of the 300-hectare property are being farmed, with a focus on Valencia citrus fruits, particularly Benny and Gusacora.
The first harvest is expected in August this year, with over 15 tonnes of Benny and over 10 tonnes of Gusacora citrus fruits anticipated.
“We currently only supply our end products to chain stores in the area,” he said.
“We are working on logistics to clear additional land for growth and eventually expand into foreign markets, and this can be easily achieved through benchmarking and collaborative measures.”
Mr Roojoy said one of the challenges that affected the Kwadiwa Citrus farm business activities was the poor roads that connected the farm to other locations, making it difficult to reach their clients particularly, during wet seasons.
He said there was shortage of fertilizers and it was also a challenge to acquire them from other countries because it took time.
He thanked the government for its support, saying the Ministry of Lands and Water Affairs had issued them with a temporary permit to import water from Limpopo for irrigation whenever their boreholes were unable to provide the necessary amount, particularly on days with intense heat waves.
Kwadiwa Ranch Citrus Farm has since created jobs for more than 20 people from Semolale, Molalatau, Bobonong, Mogapi and Sefhophe.
The numbers are expected to increase during the harvest period.
DAILYNEWS
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