As the agriculture sector has been tipped to be one of the ‘golden’ industries in Botswana, NARDI and BAMB, two institutions under the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), saw it befitting to liaise together towards ameliorating the industry. During the MoU signing, the NARDI chief executive officer, Professor Julius Atlhopheng, stated that the move is a significant development for them to align with BAMB as it can assist them where they fall short. “NARDI and BAMB play a very critical role in the agriculture value chain. It is under this shared goal of promoting sustainable agriculture, enhancing food security, and improving the livelihood of farmers in Botswana,” Atlhopheng said.
The NARDI CEO further stated that they are of the view that the alliance will yield positive results for the agricultural sector in Botswana. “We are confident that this partnership will lead to the development of innovation, promotions, the creation of new opportunities and the growth of the agricultural sector in Botswana. Together we can overcome any challenges,” he said. He pointed out that when it comes to resources, BAMB is better placed, which will go a mile in complementing their research outcomes as NARDI is just a research institution. “NARDI, in terms of its nature, it’s supposed to come up with innovation solutions in agriculture therefore we engage in high quality innovation,” Atlhopheng pointed out.
Atlhopheng elaborated that the MoU comes at a time when NARDI is exploring new avenues to tap into so that the institution becomes more efficient. “We are therefore targeting different stakeholders as we apply our value chains, which benefit diverse consumers and farmers,” he said. As a result of the MoU that was signed, Atlhopheng highlighted that every year their target will be to cut down the import bill, which they have already made some strides on. He indicated that last year they managed to produce seeds of high quality where they linked with BAMB to disburse and save them in their silos. “In this collaboration we are looking towards ensuring that the common grain crops are produced at a level of self-sufficiency. That’s why we are in this one. There are these high demands of grain crops that the country needs if we really want to reduce the import bill and we are having a target of two percent every year,” Atlhopheng hoped.
