On behalf of all the farmers in Pandamatenga, I would like to welcome everyone to our Chobe Agricultural Show.
A sincere and warm welcome to our special guest, His Excellency Dr. Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi, the President of Botswana.
Also, a warm welcome to Minister Mmusi Kgafela (Minister of Trade and Industry), Honorable Fidelis Molao (Minister of Agriculture), Honorable Machana Shamukuni (Minister of Justice and MP for Chobe District), and to all the other ministers, government representatives, members of our district and community, and everyone who came from near and far to join us in today’s event. Thank you very much for your presence.
Your Excellency, it is a great honor to have you at our show. It is just unfortunate that farmers, not just in and around Pandamatenga but throughout Botswana, have had a very tough season. It is definitely one, if not the worst, droughts the country has experienced in more than 40 years.
Because of the extreme weather, our commercial farmers managed to plant only 60% of our fields, but within that, they managed to plant about 17,000 ha of sorghum. If conditions were better, with all that planted sorghum, I could assure Your Excellency that Pandamatenga would have probably had another record production.
We pray that next season we will be blessed with all the rain we need for a great harvest.
Your Excellency, as you know, farmers are by nature resilient to adversities, but during seasons like this one, many farmers would break and go out of business.
But our government is unique, and over the years, it has become very clear that the government is equally committed to food production as farmers are. All the support given to farmers through ISPAAD and now Temo Letlotlo is unparalleled and not offered anywhere else in the world.
On behalf of myself and the Pandamatenga farmers, I would like to take this opportunity to humbly thank you for your leadership and for understanding the hardships farmers face.
Next year we will be standing and producing the food our nation needs because of the approved 85% of ACGS. Pula!
Your Excellency, it is critical to note that Pandamatenga farmers are extremely proud that all sorghum, maize, cowpeas, and wheat produced here in Pandamatenga is sold locally, within our borders, either to BAMB or to industrial and small milling companies.
As fellow countrymen and citizens, we understand the positive impact export has on the economy. Anything produced for export is well monitored and controlled by the relevant authorities.
However, to maintain the life and sustainability of our soils, we have found great value in crop rotation using grains produced for the export market, such as mung beans, chickpeas, and occasionally sunflower. This improves both our soils and the economy of the country.
Please be certain about the commitment of the Pandamatenga farmers. We will always produce first the sorghum our country needs.
Thanks to the Ministry of Trade and Industry for the completion of the 12 new silos. We, the Pandamatenga farmers, have a greater mission ahead of us: to fill all 90,000 tons of storage capacity that we now have. And we will, given the right conditions.
To achieve such a greater goal, we must all understand and agree that the business of farming is complex, and it cannot only be done by the farmers alone.
To produce more food for Botswana, we will need to create a new way of working together in a much tighter collaboration.
Farmers, not only in Pandamatenga but across the country, need government representation to be aligned with one another as well as with financing entities and relevant market players who are directly or indirectly involved in the agricultural industry.
Given the right circumstances—with financial, technical, market support, policies, and other instruments in place—all farmers in Botswana will be able to produce much more and much better and remain in business for a long time. And when we achieve that, farmers will be producing all the food the country needs and more to export to other places. Our agricultural sector will flourish to a level never seen before.
As an association, we have been working hard to strengthen our relationships at all levels of the government as well as the private sector, inside and outside our country. There are new doors open with great opportunities for the agricultural sector ready to be explored. Let’s talk.
We believe that the solutions we find for our challenges here in Pandamatenga will serve all farmers in Botswana. And we are fully committed to being part of this transformation.
All I can hope for is that Your Excellency’s presence here today will help us open even more doors to discuss additional issues that still require urgent attention and solutions.
There are three points that we need to bring to your attention: water for irrigation, electricity, and GMO seeds.
Millions have been invested into irrigation systems, and the results have been better than expected. Currently, we have about 1,000 ha of fields irrigated and used for growing potatoes, butternuts, tomatoes, and a second crop of wheat during wintertime. Growing sorghum under irrigation has also been extremely successful.
We assure you that if the existing farms in Pandamatenga are connected to the Agro-Zambezi waterline, we can expect to see production figures grow exponentially. Not only will the silos be full all year, but I believe it will open new markets for crops never seen in our region.
Please let us know how we can participate and contribute with our practical experiences to make that project a reality.
Regarding electricity, we would like to request your attention to consider connecting farms to any affordable electricity source, whether it be a regular grid or helping us build our own alternative green power plant, so farmers can retire their diesel generators and reduce their production costs under irrigation systems.
Lastly, regarding GMO seeds: This has been an ongoing discussion with the Ministry of Agriculture. Farmers need to improve their production levels, and this could be achieved using GMO seeds. We respectfully request that our government look into this quite urgently.
We are behind the rest of the world in production and agricultural results. As it stands now, our maize cannot compete with the GMO maize from South Africa and other parts of the world. All the maize imported and consumed in Botswana is from South Africa, which is mostly GMO.
Your Excellency, please kindly consider these three points and count on us to clarify and participate in any discussions.
To end, I would like to congratulate each farmer for their dedication and hard work. I am proud to be chairman of this association and what we represent. The last two seasons have been incredibly tough, but I know we are on the right track because we keep fighting to produce food.
Much appreciation goes to all the sponsors, exhibitors, and the public for coming. Without you all, this event would not be possible. Thank you also to our suppliers for their continuous support.
Your Excellency, as you leave Pandamatenga, I want to assure you that all farmers here are dedicated and want to contribute to the food security of our country, bearing in mind that we produce and take care of our land and environment for a sustainable future.
We are proud to be farmers in Botswana, and we want you, Your Excellency, to be equally proud of us. Once again, thank you for coming to Pandamatenga and for joining us in today’s event.
I would also like to express our gratitude to our Lord for the blessings upon Pandamatenga and the rest of the country.
Enjoy the rest of the show with us.
Thank you. Ke a leboga.
Pula!
