GABORONE - Government will, starting April, reinstate the revised Livestock Management and Infrastructure Development (LIMID) programme.
The programme was suspended last year after it was abused especially in the small stock component.
"Our consideration of the lack of progress in this area (small stock) suggests that it is due to lack of commitment by the farmers who are supported," Assistant Minister of Agriculture, Mr Oreeditse Molebatsi told Parliament Thursday.
Mr Molebatsi regretted that Botswana continued to import the bulk of fresh milk as only eight million litres was produced annually against the 48 million required.
"We target to increase local production of fresh milk to at least 10 million litres this coming financial year and increase consecutively with the years."
To achieve this transformation, he said, fodder production had been included as a commercial crop under ISPAAD and support would be given for all available recycled water, which could not be used for production of edible crops to be used for production of fodder.
He also announced that NAMPAADD had registered 75 rainfed farmers with whom they were working with. Through ISPAAD the country had increased cereal harvest to 83 000 metric tons, which was more than double the average annual harvest.
"Honey production is another area in which we intend to make a breakthrough. The inputs for honey production are relatively not expensive making honey production an area in which youth and other low income groups can participate," Mr Molebatsi said.
Parliament is still debating budget allocation for the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) where P 850 million is requested for recurrent budget and P296 million for development projects. BOPA