Africa-Press – Botswana. President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi has applauded investors of the state-of-the-art vegetable storage facility for showing confidence in the country as a destination of choice for investment.
Located at Jan-Pierre Roos’ Seleka Ranch in Sherwood, Central District, Safe Pro Cold Storage Solutions, valued at P65m, is poised to boost agricultural efficiency and profitability.
Designed to store 4 700 tonnes of produce, the facility, which is a joint effort by Safe Pro Cold Storage Solutions and JP Vegetables, will enable farmers to preserve their harvest for as long as eight months, effectively mitigating the impact of extreme weather, perishability and surplus production.
Officially opening the 10-unit facility, Dr Masisi thanked investors for responding to the policy pronouncements of government and their affirmation as this would show other investors that it was doable and profitable.
“I want to thank you for the confidence you have indicated in our policies and would like to say publicly that our policies work,” he said.
President Masisi said the storage facility was going to allow the investors to serve the country much better, more reliably over a longer period of time, and maintain a consistency of standard of produce for the consumers.
He said the facility indeed was pivotal to progressive development of the agricultural sector, particularly its value chains through the provision of efficient and reliable cold storage solutions for farmers and other stakeholders.
Also, he said the facility would help to mitigate the effects of the inclement weather conditions resulting from climate change.
President Masisi said value chains across the economy, particularly at the facility that was officially opened, was an affirmation of the Reset Agenda. He said one of the priorities that were promulgated following COVID-19 was value chain development, and the storage facility was the first step in that trajectory.
He further said government had not only imposed the restriction on the importation of some vegetables, but had also availed affordable financial assistance to the farmers through the Impact Accelerator Subsidy.
He encourage all to use the subsidy, adding that government also provided public finance through loan schemes, disbursed through entities such as the National Development Bank and Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency.
President Masisi encouraged the private sector to emulate Safe Pro Cold Storage Solutions and put the country in a better position to export goods to the rest of Africa.
“I want to give you confidence because this President of yours has signed to ratify the African Continental Free Trade Agreement and opened up market to all Africans”, he said
President Masisi was happy that the storage facility would be accessible to all farmers of every type and size.
He also encouraged the owners to make the storage facility accessible even to small farmers.
He pleaded with commercial farmers in the Tuli Block area to assist small farmers tackle problems, adding that clustering was important even for their own sustenance.
“Small farmers should also be encouraged to up their game and join in as this will increase the network,” he said.
Tuli-Block is the biggest vegetable production area in the country, hence President Masisi expressed the need for producers to be supported by all the ministries that facilitated the agricultural value chain.
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