Business opportunities for Botswana farmers in Australia

 It is hoped that despite Botswana having challenges in doing business with the European Union market with meat products, local farmers could venture into other areas such as leather and agri-business to trade in the Australian market.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International  Cooperation, Phandu Skelemani has said that Botswana Diplomatic Mission in Australia (BOTAUS) has established highly possible business opportunities in such areas that Batswana could do with Australia, New Zealand, Fihi, Indonesia and New Guinea.

He said cultural tourism and leather business were top business opportunities with potential for rural investments with the countries accredited to the Botswana Mission in Austalia.

The minisetr told Parliament that Envirogrower, an Australian irrigation solutions company, which specializes in low water irrigation technologies, was launched in Gaborone in February 2012 and adopting its technologies in Botswana could boost agricultural production through drought periods. “Most of our farmers especially in the rural areas depend on rain-fed arable agriculture. They therefore stand to benefit from the technologies introduced by Enviogrower.”

The Australia Center for International Agricultural Research in partnership with the Livestock Research Institute are said to have conducted a study in Botswana  intended to improve the competitiveness of smallholder livestock farmers and the results are yet to be released.