Экономист Ботсваны призвал наращивать собственное сельское хозяйство через технологии, а не вводя запреты на импорт

Agricultural economist Wandile Sihlobo says Botswana can strengthen domestic food production by improving agricultural productivity rather than relying on import restrictions. His comments follow calls by Bank of Botswana Governor Lesego Moseki for the country to accelerate food import substitution. Sihlobo pointed to South Africa's experience over the past decade. He said Botswana could follow a similar path by adopting agricultural technologies and expertise from South African agribusinesses. "I think the best approach will be through leaning on some of the farm technologies that South African agribusinesses can offer," Sihlobo said. He cited the Citrus Growers' Association's work in sharing improved citrus cultivars across Southern Africa as an example of regional collaboration that could be expanded to include a broader range of technologies, inputs, and technical knowledge. Sihlobo also cautioned against continued restrictions on fruit and vegetable imports from South Africa. "The regular blockages of vegetable and fruit imports from South Africa run counter to the spirit of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)," he said. He added that while food import substitution is a legitimate policy objective, the measures used to achieve it should avoid disrupting regional food supplies. "So, indeed, the Bank of Botswana is raising an important issue of import substitution in food, but the policy response to achieve this will need to be carefully crafted to avoid disrupting regional food supplies and triggering even domestic inflation in Botswana," Sihlobo said. He concluded that regional cooperation, technology transfer, and investment in agricultural productivity offer a longer-term approach to strengthening food production while maintaining regional trade integration.