Bright future for citrus farming in Botswana

The Botswanan government is optimistic that citrus volumes from local farms will rise significantly by 2024, due to the continued growth in the number of farmers starting citrus production in that country since 2020. In a recent update on citrus farming in Botswana, agricultural extension officer Oarabile Letsatsi said that in 2020 and 2021, an increased number of farmers imported citrus seedlings to start production. “We expect an increase in supply of citrus fruit by 2024, as the fruit trees grow well in many parts of the country,” she said. According to the country’s assistant minister of agriculture, Molebatsi Molebatsi, among the projects expected to start production shortly was a multimillion-rand project, which was targeting both local and export markets, including the US and UK. Molebatsi said the agriculture ministry was supporting these citrus projects, which included this flagship project developed on a 1 200ha farm near Selibe-Phikwe. He said the Selibe-Phikwe Citrus ...