14 May 2024

Botswana is fully committed to attaining the objectives of the 2006 Abuja Declaration on Soil Health, which underscore the importance of increased fertiliser use to stimulate agricultural productivity growth .

Talking to BOPA on the sidelines of the Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit (AFSH) in Kenya, Vice President  Mr Slumber Tsogwane said Botswana was among the  few  African  countries that had surpassed the 50 kilogramme fertiliser per hectare  target.

“Botswana has since the Abuja Declaration made major strides in fertiliser consumption per hectare as we currently apply 59.27 kilogrammes of fertilisers per every planted hectare compared to other countries that have risen from 8 kilogrammes per hectare to below 25 kilogrammes per hectare since 2006,” he said.

 Mr Tsogwane said the Temo Letlotlo programme was also testament to government’s commitment to improve soil health and food security, as envisaged by the Abuja Declaration cornerstones.

He said programmes such as Temo Letlotlo illustrated government’s commitment towards self-sufficiency in fertiliser production.

Despite producing around 30 million metric tonnes of mineral fertiliser annually, Mr Tsogwane said, many African countries including Botswana still heavily relied on imports, particularly non-phosphate-based fertilisers, leaving them vulnerable to market shocks.

He pleaded with the private sector to find a niche in the fertiliser production market, adding that the call to action by the Abuja Declaration to improve soil fertility presented a perfect platform for the private sector to invest in soil health and fertiliser manufacturing.

He said through investing in fertiliser manufacturing, private sector could play a crucial role in the realisation of most of the Abuja Declaration.

He stated that by creating an enabling environment for the private sector to prosper, government recognised it as the engine of economic growth and job creation, and thus the onus was on the sector to utilise government policies and help the country realise its development goals.

He cautioned that without the input of the private sector, Africa would not achieve its aspiration of eliminating hunger and poverty through a sustainable approach to soil health, prudent use of agricultural inputs, environmental conservation and embracing of technologies that could make production systems efficient and effective.

 Mr Tsogwane emphasised the urgency of paying attention to the needs of the land in terms of soil and soil organisms and the impact of climate change as well as adopting regenerative practices, policies and approaches that would improve the long-term value of land as a critical asset for farmers. Bokhutlo