Agrinews December 2012 - Ministry of Agriculture

Compiled : Moreri MoesiNews Briefs 2012Quote of the year;“We cannot feed the naon on idleland,” Minister of Agriculture, MrChrisaan De GraaffThe year 2012 was a difficult one forthe agricultural sector in Botswana.However, there were also somepockets of good news.Botswana Meat Commission (BMC)BMC exports to the lucrave EuropeanUnion market were suspendedfor 18 month to resolve somecompliance issues. Upon resumingexport operaons, BMC recalledover 100 tonnes of its beef fromthe E.U because it had Salinomycin.BMC noted that recalling of suchconsignments was a normal pracce atthe commission.The New Ultra High Temperature (UHT) PlantThe UHT plant is commissioned inKanye at the Naonal Food TechnologyResearch Centre (NFTRC). It is thefirst of its kind to be established inBotswana. The UHT plant is meant toenhance NFTRC’s capacity of prospecveentrepreneurs’ viable technologies thatcan be harnessed for promoon of agroprocessingand economic diversificaonin Botswana.Pandamatenga Remains the country’sFood BasketPandamatenga amatat farms produced 20000 metric tonnes to complementdepleted naonal stock. BotswanaAgricultural Markeng Board(BAMB) spokesperson, Ms BoipusoNyatshane explained that BAMBused over P40 million to acquire 15000 metric tonnes of sorghum fromAustralia. The country consumesat least 90 000 metric tonnes ofsorghum annually.Poverty datum line declinedMinister of Finance &Development Planning, Mr KennethMatambo announced during the 2012/13budget speech that results of the BotswanaWelfare Indicators (Poverty) Survey of2009/10 indicate that the number ofindividuals falling below the poverty datumline declined from 30.6% of the populaonin 2002/03 to 20.7 percent in 2009/10. Heaributed that to a number of factors thatinclude a combinaon of sustaining economicgrowth with specific programmes andprojects such as ISPAAD, LIMID, Ipelegengand other poverty eradicaon programmes.Partnership OpportuniesWoolworths Holdings Limited, a companywith more than P4 billion assetsannounces that it is looking for Botswanafarmers to partner with in agriculturalfarming business.Ghanzi District AgriculturalGhanzi District Agricultural show themed“Diversifying the Agricultural Producon- Akey to Food Security and Sustainableeconomic Developments”. This is one ofthe main items in farmers, potental farmersdairies. Mr Cross Kgosidiile, the guestspeaker at the show encouraged farmersnot to let constraints frustrate their desireto help Batswana achieve food security.He called for commercialisaon of theagricultural sector.Discussion ForumLetsema 2 focuses on the beefindustry development as the mainexport from the agricultural sector.Milk Sll ScarceThe naonal milk producon hasdropped drascally from record high of8.3 million litres per year to 3.1 millionlitres per year as at the end of 2011.Outbreak of FMDMinister of Agriculture told residentsof Gumare that reduced intervalsbetween vaccinaons from sixmonths to four months of FMDappears to have more benefits. Hesaid though this is an expensiveundertaking, the strategy seems tobe working.Sunflower ProduconBotswana Agricultural MarkengBoard (BAMB) halts the establishmentof a sunflower pressing plant inPandamatenga aer realising that anumber of private companies had shownkeen interest in establishing such aproject.Agriculture Employment StascsParliament told that the agriculturalindustry employs over 6 458 people,according to Stascs Botswana’slabour stascs report of 2010 of thatfigure 5 413 were Batswana while 1046 were non-cizens.FMD RestockingMinister of Agriculture, Mr Chrisaande Graaff announces at a pressconference that Red Zones (FMD)infected areas were experiencingoverstocking. Ngamiland hadsurpassed its stocking capacity.Permanent Home for NaonalAgriculture ShowThe Naonal show was this year movedto its permanent locaon in SebeleContent farm. The move received loadsof accolades and was supported by allstakeholders.December 2012