Africa-Press – Botswana. Local farmers have been implored to grow, process and export locally produced food.
The Vice President, Mr Ndaba Gaolathe said during Moshupa District Show held in Moshupa on Friday.
Mr Gaolathe stated that the modern economy needed a new kind of a producer, one who could farm in a smart way, process locally and sell globally.
“As a nation, we still import over P6.6 billion in food annually, that is a challenge and a massive opportunity,” he said.
He further urged Batswana to build inclusive, productive cooperatives that could help reduce costs and unlocked value.
He said the theme for 2025 show: Empowering Businesses, Cultivating Growth, was timely.
While Botswana was blessed with land and a resilient population, he said the country was still faced with challenges that demanded bold solutions.
The local economy, he said remained overly reliant on a narrow base, indicating that young people were in search of jobs and too many families lived in economic insecurity.
He said the country’s ability to feed itself, created jobs and competed globally was dependent on how boldly the economy could be diversified.
In an endeavour to address the challenge, government he said had introduced the Botswana Economic Transformation Programme (BETP), which was government’s commitment to a diversified and inclusive economy.
“It calls on every Motswana, every entrepreneur, farmer and investor to partner with government in building a stronger nation,” he said.
Through BETP, government, he said invited farmers, innovators and agripreneurs to submit proposals and ideas that reimagined local food systems.
He indicated that it was an opportunity for local farmers to be part of a transformation agenda that supported grassroots innovation, modernised agriculture and improved access to markets, finance and training.
“We carry a vision of Botswana as the best managed country on the African continent, a model of fairness, unity and shared prosperity,” he emphasised.
Mr Gaolathe stated that government outlined a national strategy focused on improving productivity and promoting innovation earlier this year.
He said government restructured agricultural support to reward performance and finalising a financing strategy to improve access to credit for farmers at all levels.
Mr Gaolathe said government was also boosting self-sufficiency by investing in local seed production and fertilizer manufacturing.
“These reforms aim to ensure our farmers can produce competitively and sustainably,” he said.
He commended Moshupa District Council saying they had shown that commitment and cooperation yielded results.
He noted that in the current season, the district cultivated over 11 700 hectares, doubling last year’s efforts, citing that close to 2 900 farmers produced crops that fed families and inspired many.
Moshupa’s potential, he said was beyond agriculture, from herbal tea to vermin-composting, from eco-tourism to biotechnology, noting that the district had the creativity to drive localised development.
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