Goabaone Masike Pandamatenga is the hub of arable agriculture in Botswana. One of the eight inaugural Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in Botswana, Pandamatenga was established as a strategic economic response to the national food security initiative. The area has been zoned as an integrated Agropolis with opportunities for investment in agro-production of cereals, legumes, oil seeds as well as fruits and vegetables. The 96, 500ha agro-production zone comprises of 44, 500ha of existing commercial farming land and 12, 000ha occupied by subsistence farmers.
A proposed 40, 000ha will be used for production of cereals like maize, sorghum, millet, wheat and barley; legumes like beans, chickpeas, groundnuts; oil seeds and fruits and vegetables. The project, dubbed the Zambezi Integrated Agro Commercial Development Project (ZIACDP), will pump water from the confluence of the Chobe - Zambezi River through a 104km pipeline, to be used for irrigation of a land area measuring 25 000ha. A further 107.4ha in northern Pandamatenga has been reserved for processing and value addition of farm produce.
The Special Economic Zones Authority (SEZA) identified lack of storage for produce as one of the key impediments to the growth of the Pandamatenga SEZ. The commissioning of new farms, coupled with the envisaged Agro - Zambezi Transfer Water Scheme for irrigation purposes, will triple production and seriously outstrip the current holding capacity of the existing silos in Pandamatenga. To cater for the expected boost in agro-production, SEZA is currently constructing additional 12 modern steel grain silos with an overall storage capacity of 60,000 metric tonnes at the Pandamatenga SEZ.
These will augment the limited capacity of the existing 30,000 metric tonnes. The modern facilities will enhance both the efficacy and efficiency of grain management and motivate farmers to produce more food, thus contributing towards poverty eradication and ensuring food security. The project will also enable division of the silos for storage of various crops, among them sorghum, maize, wheat and sunflower. Other produce such as millet, jugo-beans, groundnuts and cowpeas will be catered for in a warehouse.
Panda Update In addition to the existing 6 x 5000Mt concrete type silos, SEZA is erecting 12 x 5000Mt state-of-the art steel fabricated silos. This project, funded by the Government of Botswana to the tune of P170Million, has been awarded to a local construction company (EZRA & EZRA Construction Pty Ltd) and is being supervised by a citizen engineering consultancy firm (Raven Brooks Resources). The equipment was supplied by a renowned Turkish based silo equipment specialist, ALTINBELIK.
The primary features of the project include 12 x 5000Mt silo bins, weigh-bridge, truck external-circulation paths, storm-water drainage system, motor control room, stand-by generator, fire-protection system, electrical and instrumentation installations. Power supply from the Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) also had to be upgraded to accommodate additional demand from the silo plant. The project is currently at around 92 percent completion status; and hand-over is expected on 30th August 2023. Project Challenges The project commenced in March 2020, coinciding with the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A series of national lockdowns during the better part of 2020 and 2021 paralyzed operations and seriously disrupted progress. Travel restrictions during COVID-19 also disrupted the international suppliers’ (ALTINBELIK) shipping schedules as workshops and shipping lines ground to a complete halt. The late arrival of equipment for installation adversely affected the local project delivery schedule.
Unanticipated hard underground conditions which were encountered during foundation excavations and flooding of the project site in January 2022 also contributed to project delays and cost overruns. Goabaone Masike is Director of Infrastructure & Property Development at SEZA.
A proposed 40, 000ha will be used for production of cereals like maize, sorghum, millet, wheat and barley; legumes like beans, chickpeas, groundnuts; oil seeds and fruits and vegetables. The project, dubbed the Zambezi Integrated Agro Commercial Development Project (ZIACDP), will pump water from the confluence of the Chobe - Zambezi River through a 104km pipeline, to be used for irrigation of a land area measuring 25 000ha. A further 107.4ha in northern Pandamatenga has been reserved for processing and value addition of farm produce.
The Special Economic Zones Authority (SEZA) identified lack of storage for produce as one of the key impediments to the growth of the Pandamatenga SEZ. The commissioning of new farms, coupled with the envisaged Agro - Zambezi Transfer Water Scheme for irrigation purposes, will triple production and seriously outstrip the current holding capacity of the existing silos in Pandamatenga. To cater for the expected boost in agro-production, SEZA is currently constructing additional 12 modern steel grain silos with an overall storage capacity of 60,000 metric tonnes at the Pandamatenga SEZ.
These will augment the limited capacity of the existing 30,000 metric tonnes. The modern facilities will enhance both the efficacy and efficiency of grain management and motivate farmers to produce more food, thus contributing towards poverty eradication and ensuring food security. The project will also enable division of the silos for storage of various crops, among them sorghum, maize, wheat and sunflower. Other produce such as millet, jugo-beans, groundnuts and cowpeas will be catered for in a warehouse.
Panda Update In addition to the existing 6 x 5000Mt concrete type silos, SEZA is erecting 12 x 5000Mt state-of-the art steel fabricated silos. This project, funded by the Government of Botswana to the tune of P170Million, has been awarded to a local construction company (EZRA & EZRA Construction Pty Ltd) and is being supervised by a citizen engineering consultancy firm (Raven Brooks Resources). The equipment was supplied by a renowned Turkish based silo equipment specialist, ALTINBELIK.
The primary features of the project include 12 x 5000Mt silo bins, weigh-bridge, truck external-circulation paths, storm-water drainage system, motor control room, stand-by generator, fire-protection system, electrical and instrumentation installations. Power supply from the Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) also had to be upgraded to accommodate additional demand from the silo plant. The project is currently at around 92 percent completion status; and hand-over is expected on 30th August 2023. Project Challenges The project commenced in March 2020, coinciding with the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A series of national lockdowns during the better part of 2020 and 2021 paralyzed operations and seriously disrupted progress. Travel restrictions during COVID-19 also disrupted the international suppliers’ (ALTINBELIK) shipping schedules as workshops and shipping lines ground to a complete halt. The late arrival of equipment for installation adversely affected the local project delivery schedule.
Unanticipated hard underground conditions which were encountered during foundation excavations and flooding of the project site in January 2022 also contributed to project delays and cost overruns. Goabaone Masike is Director of Infrastructure & Property Development at SEZA.
