The Assistant Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Mr Vincent Seretse said farming is one of the major priorities that government is committed to developing as it has the potential to eliminate poverty.
Officially opening the Letlhakeng Sub-district Agricultural Show on Saturday August 1 in Letlhakeng, Mr Seretse said Botswana has been too dependent on food imports, and that it is promising that local farmers have of recent shown a hunger to resuscitate agricultural shows, something which he said can help cut such dependency on imports in the future.
He also urged farmers to adapt to new technics of production, such as the use of row planting, saying such strategies are a solution to the challenges brought about by climate change.
Mr Seretse also hailed farmers in the Letlhakeng district for displaying passion for both animal and crop production, especially that research has shown that the area is good for both productions.
Mr Seretse also urged farmers to embrace the various government initiatives such as LIMID and ISPAAD to improve their production. "These initiatives were meant to assist you, so the challenge is upon you to use them to succeed, and my advice to you is also to visit other agaric shows to benchmark on how they are run. This will help you improve" he said.
Mr Seretse also advised farmers in the area to form cooperatives so that they can have a solid voice, especially when it comes to selling their produce. "When you approach entities like the Botswana Agricultural Marketing Board, it is better that you approach them through cooperatives because then they can listen to you better as you will be representing a bulk of farmers rather than each farmer negotiating individually," he said.
For his part, the chairperson of the Letlhakeng Sub-district Show, Mr Jacob Lebeko advised farmers that agricultural shows should not be used as a platform to sell their product, but rather to network and learn from others. "Our concern is that farmers worry too much about not winning prices to the extent that in the past others have boycotted the show if they did not win."
Source : BOPA
