Botswana Roundup: High temperatures, voter registration, trade wars

Farmers lament high temperatures

In the face of scorching temperatures and a prolonged dry spell, local farmers in Botswana are grappling with the devastating impact on their crops. Many chose to forgo ploughing altogether, discouraged by accurate forecasts predicting relentless heat waves. As the southern part of the country concluded its ploughing season on February 14 (extended to February 27 in the north), farmers faced the harsh reality of crops withering away under the scorching sun. Despite some being encouraged by late December rainfall, the summer sun proved ruthless, leaving barren land and burned crops. One of the hardest-hit groups is the Mosisedi Commercial Farmers in the Borolong area, just beyond Lobatse, the Voice has reported. Comprising 18 farmers with a usual combined hectarage of 10,000, this year saw only 3,000 hectares being ploughed. “Of course, it was predicted that it would be a dry season, but the intensity of it is not what we expected. We have been through many drought seasons, but it was never like this. At this point in time, we have farmers who planted early, but to this stage, most of them are at 65–70 per cent loss of the crops, and there is no chance of recovery. As we plough, we target high yields, so when I started, I was expecting four-and-a-half tons. I will be very lucky to get one-and-a-half because I have crops that are dead completely. We just hope those crops planted last will survive,” said Mosisedi Farmers Association Chair, Gofa Mapitse.

Supplementary voter registration

Botswana's Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has scheduled a supplementary voter registration period from February 26 to March 15 in response to a disappointing first phase of voter registration. The decision to conduct a supplementary registration follows the revelation that the IEC achieved only 69% of its targeted 1.7 million voters during the initial registration phase, local news outlet Mmegi reports. The first registration period, initially set from January 5 to February 3, faced legal challenges between the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) and the IEC. The supplementary registration will take place in 61 constituencies. The IEC's notice emphasizes that citizens aged 18 and above, in possession of a valid national identity card (Omang), and not disqualified under Section 6, are encouraged to apply in person for registration during the appointed period at the office of the principal registration officer for their constituency.

Trade wars and value chain deficits

A board member of Farmers United, Moses Moloi, has revealed that horticulture farmers in Botswana are losing more than 65% of their produce due to the absence of value chains both upstream and downstream. The lack of processing facilities leads to significant wastage, and Moloi stressed the importance of creating additional value chains to address this issue, the Guardian Sun reports. Moloi highlighted the opportunity for the country's youth to capitalize on this market gap by establishing processing facilities. He emphasized the critical role of value chains in the horticulture industry to foster growth and meet national demand. Currently, farmers face challenges such as seasonal production and limited access to funding, preventing them from fulfilling the country's demand. As per Moloi, the lack of proper collaboration among farmers compromises the sustainable growth of the industry, urging the need for collective efforts. While the local demand for various crops like potatoes, tomatoes, onions, and maize exists, production falls short, contributing to the reliance on imports. The government's vegetable import ban, implemented in January 2022, has reduced the import bill by about 71%, with Botswana and Namibia extending the ban until 2025.

Road and rail Bridge

Botswana and Zambia have taken a significant step in their bilateral relations by jointly committing to share the maintenance costs of the Kazungula Bridge, a road and rail bridge over the Zambezi River between Botswana and Zambia. This decision was made during the recent Joint Ministerial Committee and the 56th Botswana-Zambia Bilateral Meeting held in Gaborone. To facilitate this commitment, the two countries have established the Kazungula Bridge Authority (KBA), which will oversee the maintenance expenses of the bridge. Botswana’s Minister of Transport and Public Works, Eric Molale, notes that toll gate fees will be utilized to cover these costs, although Botswana is currently in the process of establishing toll gates, the Gazette News reports. “We have approved the guidelines on tourism, which will help how we handle people who have come to marvel at the wonder and how to handle local and international tourists. We have also agreed that we are going to jointly develop our waterfronts to facilitate tourism. Both countries have kicked off the processes; they are at different stages,” said Minister Molale. Both Botswana and Zambia have initiated waterfront projects at the bridge, to enhance tourism in the area.

Interest rate

Botswana's central bank has decided to maintain its main interest rate at 2.40%, according to an announcement on Thursday. Bank of Botswana Governor Cornelius Dekop mentioned that the country's economy is projected to operate below full capacity in the short term, mitigating demand-driven inflationary pressures. The central bank revised its average inflation forecast for 2024 to 4%, down from the 4.9% predicted in December, Reuters reports. Factors contributing to this adjustment include lower expected inflation in Botswana's trading partners, weakened international commodity prices, and a stronger local currency against the South African rand. In January, inflation rose to 3.9% year-on-year, up from 3.5% in December. The governor anticipates that February's inflation will remain at 3.9%. This decision follows the bank's move to lower its policy rate to 2.40% during its last monetary policy meeting in December, marking a decrease from the previous rate of 2.65% that had been in place for over a year.