Agriculture has been identified as a critical sector for immediate and long-term economic transformation, with President Boko announcing bold targets to boost productivity and ensure national food security. The sector’s contribution to GDP is targeted to rise from the current 2% to at least 6% in the immediate term. The core vision centres on livestock production, aiming to increase the national herd from the current estimated level of 1.7 million (down from 3 million in the 1970s) to an ambitious 5 million by 2030. To achieve this, the government has launched a programme of extension support, including reproductive diagnostics, artificial insemination, and the implementation of a rangeland restoration project in partnership with the Green Climate Fund, launched in Tsabong.
Encouragingly, the President confirmed that the turnaround strategy of the Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) is showing signs of improvement, specifically noting that payment turnaround times have been reduced from months to just seven days. The Direct Cattle Procurement Scheme has been launched in Ngamiland, allowing farmers to be paid instantly. On milk production, the government recently completed a mission to Brazil to secure the importation of at least 1,000 Girolando cattle to kickstart the expansion of the Dairy Sector through its Milk Valley subsidiary, targeting an increase in local production capacity from 13% to over 60% by next year.
The government is also finalising the out-grower program guidelines to engage contract farmers around the Lobatse region. The 2024/25 crop season yielded success, with an estimated 144,000 tonnes in production, an improvement that is “well within the UDC manifesto objective of tripling food production yield and output.” Horticulture output is also strong, meeting 80% of national vegetable demand. Perhaps the most groundbreaking announcement relates to policy shifts enabling the licit cultivation and use of industrial hemp and medicinal cannabis. The Cannabis Act and the Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act have already been passed into law, with pilot cultivation set to commence in December 2025 in partnership with Hemp Innovations, BUAN, and NARDI, starting with trials at BUAN.
