BAMB assures on adequate grain supplies

Pauline Dikuelo | Monday February 5, 2024 06:00

Known as the SGR, the strategic grain reserves usually involve government buying crops and taking responsibility for their storage until they are needed to make up for shortfalls in the economy.

BAMB’s silo storage capacity is 85,000 metric tonnes (Mt), but the maximum required levels for the SGR is 70,000Mt comprising of 30,000Mt of sorghum, 30,000Mt of Maize and 10,000Mt of beans. At minimum, the BAMB is required to keep 10,000Mt of sorghum, 10,000Mt of maize and 2,000Mt of beans.

BAMB is the country’s primary buyer of agricultural produce, providing a market for locally grown scheduled crops while ensuring that adequate supplies exist for sale to customers.

This week, BAMB CEO, Lameck Nthekela, said for the current season, BAMB expects to have more yields in maize, followed by cowpeas and lastly sorghum, a forecast he said is based on the uptake of seeds purchased through the Temo Letlotlo initiative.

However, he added that the weather conditions will also be a major determining factor of how much grain BAMB will receive this season.

“BAMB is mandated with procuring key grains from the local farmers, such as maize, pulses and sorghum. “We currently have a stable supply of yellow maize and white maize. “We also have adequate supply of other beans to the market especially cowpeas and China peas,” he said. During last season’s harvest, BAMB received 7,000 metric tonnes of sorghum, 4,000 metric tonnes of maize and 800 metric tonnes of beans.

Nthekela said a critical shortage of sorghum was experienced in 2023, with reserve levels towards the end of the year reaching 10,000 tonnes of sorghum, 5,006 tonnes of maize and 2,700 tonnes of pulses/beans.

At that level, the amounts in BAMB’s silos were enough to sustain the nation for just two months. However Nthekela said the organisation had managed to source grain externally.

“Bearing in mind that we do not deplete our minimum strategic grain reserves levels, we have been able to source from neighbouring South Africa, and Zimbabwe. “In view of the long anticipated drought spell, we continue to explore countries afar, such as Brazil and Australia. “So far we have been able to meet our milling requirements with this demand-driven sourcing plans,” he said.

He guaranteed the nation that there is no threat to food security, adding that if the need arises Botswana still has an option of sourcing commercial grain from external sources. He said they are already in discussions with suppliers in neighbouring countries in preparation for possible grain shortage.

“Tapping into the reserves requires Cabinet approval and should the need arise it shall be done,” he said.

The BAMB is also building 12 additional grain silos in Pandamatenga as part of common facilities to be used by commercial farmers operating within the Panda agricultural Special Economic Zone.

The additional facilities are expected to enhance both the efficiency and efficacy of grain management. The provision of additional facilities will as facilitate the separation of crops being sorghum, maize, wheat and sunflower while other produce such as millet, groundnuts and cowpeas will be catered for in a warehouse.