17 Oct 2024

Government continues introducing different initiatives and programmes aimed at ensuring availability of food in the country, says Minister of Agriculture Mr Fidelis Molao.

Delivering a message to mark the 79th World Commemoration of World Food Day, which is commemorated globally on October 12, Mr Molao said in Botswana it would be commemorated October 22 in Gaborone.

As part of preparing for the event, Mr Molao said the ministry had lined up several activation activities, such as student essay competitions and a panel discussion exploring various stakeholders’ vital role in achieving food security.

Mr Molao said the ultimate aim of World Food Day was to combat world hunger and make food available for all.

“World Food Day emphasises or ensures nutritious diets and food security across the globe,” he said.

He said programmes such as Temo Letlolo, Thuo Letlotlo and other drought relief programmes were targeted at all citizens and had a potential of positively enhancing the desire to achieve the right amount of food enough for every individual.

He said it was undisputable that Batswana had taken food production seriously, playing a big role in food security as evidenced by their ability to produce and supply food within the country.

The commemoration is held under the theme: Right To Foods For A Better Life And A Better Future. Mr Molao said the theme emphasises the need for substantial investments in food security and nutrition.

He said the theme recognises that when individuals and communities have the right to food, they were empowered to create a better and brighter future.

Mr Molao said government had introduced Impact Accelerated Subsidy (IAS) to enable horticulture production by subsidising the purchasing of critical farming packages. So far, Mr Molao said, 1 620 farmers had been assisted at the sum of P133 million.

He said the programme had enabled adoption of climate smart farming through the use of protected cultivation structures that were provided for within the program. He said import restrictions on targeted horticulture commodities had been introduced to promote market access for local production.    

He said production was elevated from around 60 000 tonnes in 2022 to 88 600 tonnes in 2023/24.

Under Temo Letlotlo, Mr Molao said a total of 111 967 farmers had so far registered for the programme. “A total of 41 808 e-vouchers were issued to Micro Scale Farmers, to procure seeds and tillage services covering 137 658 hectares, 10 928 Micro Scale Farmers were issued 85 262 bags of free fertilizers,” he said.

He said cereal production for the 2023/24 cropping season stood at around 21 000 tonnes, accounting for about seven per cent of the national cereal demand of 300 000 tonnes.

He said the low production was a result of the extreme drought that the country experienced in the 2023/24 cropping season. So far, Mr Molao said over P589 million had been expended in the Temo-Letlotlo.

Mr Molao said livestock sector growth contributed to food security at household, national, regional and global levels. He said in 2022/23 it produced 69 000 tonnes of beef, 49 000 tonnes of poultry meat and 15 million dozen of eggs.

“Other commodities like milk, pork, lamb and cheese, Botswana still relies on imports to meet its national demand,” he said. ENDS