|
Dwindling Poultry Fortunes Worry Government |
|
|
|
 Government is concerned about the dwindling fortunes of the poultry industry.
According to Vice President, Lt General Mompati Merafhe, “In spite of efforts made to support this sector it has experienced a decline and therefore undermined national efforts to achieve self-sufficiency in poultry products.”
Speaking at the Mahalapaye Sub District Agriculture Show, he said part of the problem was that the small poultry producers could not successfully penetrate the local market due to some restrictions such as Halal requirements.
Merafhe said government was doing all it can to provide the necessary support for farmers to produce more food, “ in order that we can reduce the amount that is imported from other countries.”
He said government continues to negotiate with the chain supermarkets that purchase poultry products to relax restrictions. The Vice President said the Choppies Group, which has over 40 supermarkets countrywide, has responded positively. He encouraged other companies to follow their example.
He said for vegetable producers Government was planning to establish horticultural market places as a way of encouraging the growth of this sector. There was need to work hard towards achieving self-sufficiency in vegetable production.
Government had taken measures to increase the grain reserve from the current 10 000 to 30 000 metric tonnes for sorghum and maize, in line with the need to respond to the looming food crisis. “This reserve is meant to ensure that food grains are available from the Botswana Agricultural Marketing Board (BAMB) to consumers in the event of serious shortage from commodity suppliers and local producers,” Vice President Merafhe said.
He said the Botswana Meat Commission had improved its incentives, including increasing prices offered to farmers to encourage them to improve their stock and to sell more to the abattoir.
Merafhe said citizen economic empowerment and import substitution are two of the key drivers of the government’s economic policy.
“I am pleased to inform you that Government has taken the initiative to support local manufacturers and entrepreneurs. This entails creating conducive conditions for producers of a wide variety of products such as bread and school uniforms to supply the local market without unnecessary external competition,” he said.
Any success in the national development efforts demands a genuine partnership between the government, the private sector, including foreign investors, as well as citizens that are committed to playing their part, he said.
Merafhe said the contribution of agriculture had declined due to a variety of factors such as recurrent droughts, livestock diseases, lack of appropriate technology and the emergence and growth of other sectors.
“That notwithstanding, agriculture remains the mainstay of our economy. It is a source of employment and income for most of the rural households in this country,” he said.
At independence, over 40 years ago, agriculture contributed significantly to the Gross Domestic Product and to the livelihood of the majority of our population, he said.
The theme for the Mahalapye Sub District Agriculture was, "Trade Diversification: A Window For Global Competitiveness".
 |
Archives 
Subscribe to this comment's feed