Africa-Press – Botswana. The need for stakeholders to play their part for the success of the Selebi Phikwe Citrus project to contribute to Botswana’s economic diversification and promote the agriculture industry cannot be overlooked.
In interviews with all stakeholders which included the ministries of Trade and Industry, Agriculture, Entrepreneurship, SPEDU as well as the Selebi Phikwe community, the citrus project is Botswana’s first commercial agriculture development, catering to the demands of global markets for fresh produce.
Key messages around the value chain opportunities for citizens and citizen-owned companies, have been outlined, hence the need for stakeholders to play their part for its success.
Like any other sector, the citrus industry is faced with numerous challenges, including importing majority of inputs, low levels of production, shortage of suitable storage facilities for post-harvest handling, lack of pack houses or cold rooms that farmers can use on rental basis, limited infrastructure for testing of produce on compliance to residuals and phytosanitary measures, human resource shortages in key expertise, lack of quality standards in the domestic market as well as absence of integrated horticultural markets.
However, from such challenges there stems entrepreneurship opportunities from the citrus project, an initiative marking a significant milestone as the country’s first commercial agriculture development.
The Selebi Phikwe Citrus project, it had been reported by various stakeholders, will not only promote manufacturing at various levels of the value chain, but successful implementation of its road-map will reduce imports of citrus products.
Also, in line with the value chain priority of the RESET agenda, it will promote growth in the sub-sector and contribute to food security.
Therefore, among key messages is that, combined with other commercial farms in Tuli Block, Pandamatenga and Mosesedi Farms, the citrus project presents a viable business opportunity for production of fertilizers in the country.
The project also presents an opportunity for partnerships with some of the leading chemical companies in the country and in the world to produce agro-chemicals.
On one hand, with juice as one of products that are highly consumed, it then becomes obvious that a juice making processing plant is of utmost need to harness the critical resource.
Taking advantage of such opportunity would then require that communities establish processing plants to ensure that some of the produce that does not make the grade sale and consumption can be processed into juice, which can substitute the powder-based mixture that is served currently in schools.
Given that Batswana have been in citrus production, though in small numbers and relatively small farms, mainly under five hectares, this now becomes an opportunity for more Batswana to go into production, in their small establishments and have the Selebi Phikwe Citrus promote and sell on their behalf.
Such out-grower opportunities will assist small farmers to be able to meet the international export standards and evidently attract a better price for their produce.
Still under entrepreneurship opportunities, the project, given its scale, is expected to invariably create interests from researchers, both institutional and individual and it is in a position to support and bolster any research undertaking related to citrus and therefore institutions such as BUAN and BIUST are well positioned and well equipped to align themselves with the project.
Just like with research and development, the citrus project is expected to present opportunity for new skills development and knowledge growth and in turn ensure that Botswana now has skills and knowledge related to citrus production and the country may see more Batswana taking up such professions.
As such, BUAN and BIUST are currently challenged to align their trainings with the new opportunity.
Owing to the sheer size of the citrus project as one of the biggest in Southern Africa, this will certainly enthuse interest from both local and international tourists to want to visit it via agro-tourism and farm tours can be done at a fee.
This presents more opportunities for local entrepreneurs to come with more innovative ideas of what else tourists can do while they are in Selebi Phikwe, something that can be implemented as a community project or youth initiative.
Moreover, the citrus Industry value chain can be divided into core sub-sectors in inputs, primary production and post-harvest, secondary processing, marketing, sales and distribution as well as support service.
It has been reported that currently Botswana has 172 citrus growers, with over 90 per cent of them as small-scale farmers that produce citrus on under five hectares.
The remaining 10 per cent fall into the category of medium-sized to large scale farmers and the sector supports just more than 1 000 jobs, with more than 75 per cent of employees being women.
Meanwhile, countdown to March 21 when the President, Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi, will launch the first citrus fruit harvest continues, after which a number of entrepreneurship prospects can be fully harnessed and after the project becomes fully operational.
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