Drafted by Israeli consults, TAHAL, the plan is seen as a crucial intervention by government to bring the sector back on its feet and help diversify the country economy currently based on diamond mining.
The year started badly with an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in the Matsiloje area in February. And in order to eradicate the disease, some 12 000 cattle were destroyed and buried at Lephaneng and Rooikop 1 in the North East District.
In a move that was hailed by farmers, then lands, housing and environment minister, Jacob Nkate instructed landboards to allow farmers to drill boreholes in their ploughing fieldsthey and apply for water rights from the Water Apportionment Board.
Following concerns on veld fires, agriculture minister, Johnnie Swartz formulated a fire management policy to curb the problem.
Presenting his ministry’s budget to Parliament, he said the policy was expected to be implemented during 2002/3 financial year.
In March, the NAMPAADD was presented to Parliament and MPs hailed it as one policy that would significantly increase food and dairy production in the country.
Agriculture can be profitable in Botswana with the implementation of the right policies, input of modern technologies and related support services,” President Festus Mogae told a Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) National Council meeting in Gaborone in April.
The plan states that despite unfavourable climatic and physical conditions, current production levels in all the investigated sub-sectors is far below the potential that can be achieved if modest technological and management interventions are adopted. And this explains the enthusiasm exhibited by MPs when they discussed and endorsed the plan.
Legislators Joy Phumaphi (Francistown East), Nkate (Ngami), Tshelang Masisi (Francistown West) and Ronald Sebego (Barolong) welcomed the plan because “it will enhance agricultural production in the country”.
Kgalagadi MP Lesedi Mothibamele said the plan must be extensively publicised and that government must introduce incentives to attract the youth into participating in the agricultural sector.
Palapye MP Boyce Sebetela welcomed the plan, but cautioned that in view of limited resources, government may not afford a simultaneous implementation of NAMPAADD and all other planned developments.
Sebetela, who was then assistant finance and development planning minister, said the agricultural sector should be given top priority supported by a requisite infrastructures in the rural areas.
Maitlhoko Mooka (Moshupa) warned that NAMPAADD would remain a pipedream if land delivery was not improved.
Gaborone North MP Michael Mzwinila said government was making piece meal approach to the development of agriculture because NAMPAADD would only concentrate on arable and dairy farming.
Mompati Merafhe (Mahalapye MP), spoke of farming fatigue among Batswana and attributed it to crop failure, lack of market and poor producer prices.
Agriculture minister, Swartz pointed out that tprivate sector involvement would be encouraged.
He added that highest priority in the development of rainfed farming would be given to areas of high production potential located in Barolong, Balete/Tlokweng, Tutume, Chobe, Ngwaketse-South, Tonota, Tati, Kgatleng, Machaneng and Mahalapye.
Still in April, government offered farmers 25 per cent subsidy on livestock feeds to cushion the effects of drought.
The livestock sub-sector is an important part of pastoral activity in the country and contributes 80 per cent of the agricultural GDP.
In July, Parliament rejected a motion by Okavangao MP Joseph Kavindama calling on the government to substantially increase compensation for farmers whose livestock are killed by predators.
Kavindama had argued that farmers be compensated at market value to save them from impoverishment.
The government started construction of a P1.5 million livestock marketing concentration centre in Selebi-Phikwe.
Director of Animal Health and Production Motshodi Raborokgwe said the facility would be a supermarket for livestock and handle about 500 head of cattle and 640 small stock.
Farmers will bring in animals for sale to interested parties such as butchers, shops and farmers. A network of similar centres will be built across the country.
In August, general manager of Botswana Ostrich Company Chris Bradshaw denied that his company’s decision to slaughter cattle instead of ostriches was a sign that the industry had failed at infancy.
He said the industry was just starting and that the decision was a temporary measure to prevent the expensive equipment from staying idle.
“Botswana’s arid conditions are suited for ostrich farming and there is no reason why the country cannot be the biggest ostrich and ostrich products exporter in the world,” he said.
Zimbabwe commercial farmers convened an impromptu meeting with Botswana government officials to explore opportunities of relocating here.
Then deputy permanent secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Masego Mphathi stated that the white farmers wanted large chunks of land on which they could continue with their farming activities.
“It is a pity that we do not have land. However, we have advised them to get into smart partnerships with the local farmers,” he said.
In October, assistant Minister of Agriculture Pelokgale Seloma regretted that though Botswana was self-sufficient in poultry production, the country was still heavily dependent on neighbouring countries for the supply of most requisites.
These included stock (broiler, hatching eggs and pullets), feeds and equipment.
Botswana imports about 70, 000 tonnes of vegetables a year. It is estimated that the country spent P18 million in the first seven months of 2001 on vegetables imports from South Africa and Zimbabwe.
It is everybody’s wish that NAMPAADD performs better than previous policies such as ALDEP and FAP, among others. However, the challenges are daunting and require determination by all stakeholders, particularly Batswana for the scheme to succeed.
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