Africa-Press – Botswana. Botswana Agricultural Marketing Board’s oldest silos, located in Pitsane will be renovated at the sum of P52 million.
This was revealed by the Member of Parliament for Goodhope/Mmathethe, also assistant minister of agriculture Dr Edwin Dikoloti during a kgotla meeting in Pitsane recently.
Dr Dikoloti said the five silos needed refurbishment so as to properly protect the produce they store which include cereals such as sorghum, maize and beans.
Dr Dikoloti said he was of the opinion that the company contracted to undertake the refurbishment would hire locals and pay them the minimum living wage of P4 000.
He said hiring locals was important, and that by so doing, the contractor would be transferring skills and sharing knowledge.
Mr Lambani Obuseng from Botswana Agricultural Marketing Board disclosed that the contractor had already started procuring materials for the renovation.
He said the contractor had been urged the contractor to hire locals adding that residents would be briefed accordingly once the works were about to commence.
Dr Dikoloti said that since the district relied heavily on farming activities, the area leadership has since agreed to encourage the community to do agripreneurship.
Dr Dikoloti revealed that government intended to improve sources of water for production.
He said that included drilling boreholes and construction of dams so that farmers could irrigate and water their livestock.
Botswana Meat Commission’s livestock procurement officer Mr Motlhokomedi Gaetshetswe said in an endeavour to get farmers to sell to BMC, the organisation had increased prices of 0-4 tooth cattle to P48.00 per kg.
Mr Gaetshetswe noted that they take all sizes and breeds of cattle not just young ones.
He said that they have also decided that they will offer logistics support to farmers by providing transport for 20 cows and more.
“Our turnaround time for payments is 14 days for individual farmers or 30 days for contract farmers who sell in excess of 50 at once,” he said.
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