• Power supply crisis dampens economic recoveryJuly 15, 2025
    Outages causing more damage to private sector, BoB warns • Fall in private sector activity will significantly cut tax revenue BAKANG TIRO editors@thepatriot.co.bw RelatedPosts Power supply crisis dampens economic recovery MPs reject teachers’ motion Boko can’t fix Botswana ‘spectacularly’… Read more: Power supply crisis dampens economic recovery
  • MPs reject teachers’ motionJuly 15, 2025
    Parliament votes against Hikuama’s motion BAKANG TIRO editors@thepatriot.co.bw RelatedPosts Power supply crisis dampens economic recovery MPs reject teachers’ motion Boko can’t fix Botswana ‘spectacularly’ in three years   Parliament on Friday rejected a motion by MP for Maun West,… Read more: MPs reject teachers’ motion
  • Could Immigration be the Answer for Botswana’s Skills Gap?July 15, 2025
      BAKANG PHUTHEGO RelatedPosts Could Immigration be the Answer for Botswana’s Skills Gap? Boko can’t fix Botswana ‘spectacularly’ in three years Mr President, direct appointment is not a panacea for corruption BUSINESS WITH BK   As Botswana approaches its… Read more: Could Immigration be the Answer for Botswana’s Skills Gap?
  • Trollope Botswana International : VACANCIESJuly 14, 2025
    RelatedPosts Trollope Botswana International : VACANCIES STRIDES FOR SUCCESS: VACANICES FARM TRAQUAIR : FARM WORKER
  • Boko can’t fix Botswana ‘spectacularly’ in three yearsJuly 14, 2025
    President Advocate Duma Boko has boldly ‘declared and decreed’ that he intends to fundamentally and ‘spectacularly’ change the face of Botswana in the next three years.  I believe it is the expectation of every Motswana that he lives up… Read more: Boko can’t fix Botswana ‘spectacularly’ in three years
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Analysis & Opinions
  • Vacancies & Tenders
  • Login
  • Register
Friday, July 18, 2025
17 °c
Gaborone
21 ° Tue
22 ° Wed
24 ° Thu
26 ° Fri
The Patriot On Sunday
Subscribe
Advertisement
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Analysis & Opinions
  • Vacancies & Tenders
No Result
View All Result
Cart / $0.00

No products in the cart.

  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Analysis & Opinions
  • Vacancies & Tenders
No Result
View All Result
The Patriot On Sunday
No Result
View All Result
Home Business

Food import bill hits P813m

patriot by patriot
November 26, 2021
in Business
237
0
Food in a retail store

Food in a retail store

491
SHARES
1.4k
VIEWS
ShareShareShare

Costly bill recorded for the month of August 2021

Total imports amounted to an P8.6 billion in August

RelatedPosts

Power supply crisis dampens economic recovery

Banks in liquidity squeeze

BSB’s net profit jumps 230%

Economist urges Govt to unlocks agricultural value

BAKANG TIRO

editors@thepatriot.co.bw

Latest food import bill figures by Statistics Botswana (SB) suggests that the country’s food bill stood at P813,132,970.2 in August 2021, contributing 9.3% to total imports bill of P8, 698,179,306.5.

Cereals, according to Statistics Botswana, accounted for 16.3 percent of food imports followed by sugars and sugar confectionary and preparations of cereals with 11.1 percent and 9.2 percent respectively.

“The most imported types of Cereals during this period were maize (corn), other than seed with contribution of 45.8 percent followed by rice, semi-milled or wholly milled, whether or not polished or glazed at 23.2 percent. Sugars; cane sugar, raw, in solid form, not containing added flavouring or colouring matter contributed 71.3 percent while sugar confectionery; (excluding chewing gum, including white chocolate), not containing cocoa presented 21.2 percent to sugars , sugar confectionary,” said Statistics Botswana.

In an interview, economic analyst Dr Mosimane Rammika said the August food import bill rose to P813 million because the country has not yet developed its agricultural sector to the level of reducing the high bill.

He said when Botswana attained its independence in 1966 the agricultural sector was highly productive and stood as the mainstay of the economy.

“Slowly this diminished; as Botswana was still educating its people to take over from foreign nationals who were skilled in certain critical positions and this made sense because people got attracted to certain critical positions important for the transitional success.  Agriculture and other sectors were neglected as Botswana started from zero with workforce shortage for transition. The country faced many infrastructural development needs, capital-intensive machineries, and food production needs as well as educational facilities and scholarship demands,” said Rammika.

That being the case, he said diamonds revenue as well as an international aid rescued Botswana and resources were channelled to meeting key needs of the economy. He regretted that procrastination happened in expanding revenue streams.

SONA 2021

Meanwhile, Dr Rammika welcomed pronouncement by President Mokgweetsi Masisi in 2021 SONA that Government has adopted a new arable agricultural programme, which will replace the Integrated Support Programme for Arable Agriculture (ISPAAD).

“This is a positive statement from the SONA 2021 and the government will drive the reduction of import bill by reducing the import bill, especially the above top five, which contribute over 53 per cent of the Import bill. We have a number of silos planned for increment and the Government recognising the food deficit of over 60 per cent,” he said.

He said as the government is identifying key sectors, one will assume it will address the key sectors that we seem to have the ability to resource in a short space of time and identify key expenditure in the import bill, adding that some of those are animal edible products among others.

“One may only be worried by capacity constraints and implementation capacity in the part of government given the fact that some of the projects reported on the last SONA 2020 feedback not included in the current SONA 2021. Aggravating the worry is that the issue has not been addressed as key component of the SONA address 2021 as the main deterrent of economic growth and employment creation. It is urgent to attend to the issue in achieving the economic stimulation and growth,” he added.  

Dr Rammika said food security and other key economic sectors identified by Government can be achieved through concerted efforts that address red tapes in implementation as well as timelines of the deliverables for effective measurement of progress in the 2022 SONA.

Related

Get real time update about this post categories directly on your device, subscribe now.

Unsubscribe
Previous Post

Orange FA Cup Semis

Next Post

Far Property portfolio value stands at P1.35 billion

Related Posts

Power supply crisis dampens economic recovery
Business

Power supply crisis dampens economic recovery

July 15, 2025
Banks in liquidity squeeze
Business

Banks in liquidity squeeze

July 14, 2025
BSB’s net profit jumps 230%
Business

BSB’s net profit jumps 230%

July 9, 2025
Rough diamonds turbulence
Business

Rough diamonds turbulence

July 7, 2025
BVI ships over 500 000 doses of FMD vaccines to SA
Business

BVI ships over 500 000 doses of FMD vaccines to SA

July 2, 2025
BTCL enjoys strong growth
Business

BTCL enjoys strong growth

June 30, 2025
Next Post
Far Property portfolio value stands at P1.35 billion

Far Property portfolio value stands at P1.35 billion

  • Power supply crisis dampens economic recoveryJuly 15, 2025
    Outages causing more damage to private sector, BoB warns • Fall in private sector activity will significantly cut tax revenue BAKANG TIRO editors@thepatriot.co.bw RelatedPosts Power supply crisis dampens economic recovery MPs reject teachers’ motion Boko can’t fix Botswana ‘spectacularly’… Read more: Power supply crisis dampens economic recovery
  • MPs reject teachers’ motionJuly 15, 2025
    Parliament votes against Hikuama’s motion BAKANG TIRO editors@thepatriot.co.bw RelatedPosts Power supply crisis dampens economic recovery MPs reject teachers’ motion Boko can’t fix Botswana ‘spectacularly’ in three years   Parliament on Friday rejected a motion by MP for Maun West,… Read more: MPs reject teachers’ motion
  • Could Immigration be the Answer for Botswana’s Skills Gap?July 15, 2025
      BAKANG PHUTHEGO RelatedPosts Could Immigration be the Answer for Botswana’s Skills Gap? Boko can’t fix Botswana ‘spectacularly’ in three years Mr President, direct appointment is not a panacea for corruption BUSINESS WITH BK   As Botswana approaches its… Read more: Could Immigration be the Answer for Botswana’s Skills Gap?
  • Trollope Botswana International : VACANCIESJuly 14, 2025
    RelatedPosts Trollope Botswana International : VACANCIES STRIDES FOR SUCCESS: VACANICES FARM TRAQUAIR : FARM WORKER
  • Boko can’t fix Botswana ‘spectacularly’ in three yearsJuly 14, 2025
    President Advocate Duma Boko has boldly ‘declared and decreed’ that he intends to fundamentally and ‘spectacularly’ change the face of Botswana in the next three years.  I believe it is the expectation of every Motswana that he lives up… Read more: Boko can’t fix Botswana ‘spectacularly’ in three years
The Patriot On Sunday

© 2024 Copyright The Patriot On Sunday - Inspired by Search Mart.

Navigate Site

  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Disclaimer
  • Contact Us

Follow Us

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • Sign Up
  • Cart
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Analysis & Opinions
  • Vacancies & Tenders

© 2024 Copyright The Patriot On Sunday - Inspired by Search Mart.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?