Botswana aspires to have commercially viable agricultural sector by 2025: official

Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-20 01:10:50|Editor: Mu Xuequan
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GABORONE. Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Botswana aspires to have a commercially viable agricultural sector by 2025, the southern African country's Assistant Minister of Agricultural Development and Food Security, Kgotla Autlwetse said Thursday.

In his speech during the belated World Food Day commemoration at Kalakamati village near Francistown, some 430km northeast of Gaborone, Autlwetse said Botswana's agriculture will be modern and productive while using science, technology, innovation and indigenous knowledge by 2025.

This year's commemorations were held under the theme: Change the future of migration. Invest in food security and rural development.

Founded in 1945, the World Food Day is occasionally celebrated every year by at least 150 countries around the world on October 16 in honor of the date of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.

The day is celebrated widely by many other organizations concerned with food security, including the World Food Program (WFP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

"The hand hoe will be banished by 2025 and the sector will be modern, profitable and attractive to the country's youths and women," said Autlwetse.

Autlwetse said Botswana's agricultural aspirations are in line with African Union (AU) aspiration of a prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth and sustainable development of the Agenda 2063.

Agenda 2063 underpins African countries' determination to eradicate poverty in one generation and build shared prosperity through social and economic transformation of the continent.

"Based on AU's aspiration, our country will have a sustainable, technology driven and commercially viable agricultural sector by 2025," he said.

Agriculture is the mainstay of Botswana's rural economy as a source of food, employment, draught power and raw materials.

Approximately 80 percent of Botswana's agricultural sector's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) comes from livestock with only 20 percent originating from basic grains, horticulture and other crops.

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