- Employment for skilled agriculture, forestry & fishery workers increase
- Absa SME and Agri created 642 new jobs
- Absa targets 1 100 new job
Job openings have recently increased amid a surge in demand for farm workers over the last three quarters of the year. This uptick reflects a slight improvement in hiring within the small-scale agricultural industry, which benefits from the country’s protective measures on vegetable and citrus imports.
The jump reported by Statistics Botswana shows an increase in employment for skilled agriculture, forestry & fishery workers in both Q3 2023 and Q1 2024.
The number increased from 8,053 in Q3 2023 to 10,677 persons in Q1 2024.
This followed a decline from 17,735 persons in Q4 2020 to 10,395 persons in Q4 2021 and to 9,465 persons in Q4 2022.
However, Botswana’s unemployment remains one of the highest in Africa.
The Statistics Botswana Quarterly Multi-Topic Survey Labour Force Module for Q1 2024 shows that Public Administration was the highest employer constituting a fifth of the total employed persons.
The total number of people employed in the agricultural sector has risen from 53,830 in Q4 2021 to 72,492 in Q1 2024.
Keletso Setimela, Head of Business Banking at Absa Bank Botswana, believes restrictions on importing certain fresh produce can significantly influence job creation within the local agriculture sector, particularly in sub-sectors like horticulture.
“The horticultural sector holds considerable promise for job creation, especially when supported by targeted policies and investments,” Setimela said in an interview.
“As an example, Absa SME and Agri created 642 new jobs from January till end of July and we aim to create 1 100 new jobs.”
He says these are jobs created because of the funding clients received from his bank.
The agricultural sector holds huge potential to create many jobs, said Setimela, adding that the sector is the third largest employer.
Apart from the horticultural sub-sector, he contends that several other sub-sectors in agriculture have significant potential to create job opportunities such as livestock farming, aquaculture, agro-processing, agri-tech and innovation.
The government defended its protectionist policies saying it resulted in the decline of the fresh produce import bill from P634 million in 2018 to P182 million in 2023.
President Mokgweetsi Masisi said the decision to restrict the importation of selected vegetables and fruits in 2022 is bearing fruit.
He said the intervention has reduced the import bill by P452 million, which is a 71 percent reduction.
President Masisi said this was achieved while simultaneously increasing the national capacity to produce the food needed daily at both household and national levels, explaining that this demonstrates the positive impact of the import restrictions on the country’s import bill.
The ban on imports of tomatoes, potatoes, onions and other produce, first implemented in January 2022 and was scheduled to end in December 2023, was extended by a further two years until December 2025 as the country continues to seek self-reliance and cut the import bill.
The extension also came with additional products that include patty pan, pumpkin, sweet potato, green beans, sweet melon, mushroom, calabash, spanspeck, eggplant and okra.
Recently, Botswana has also imposed a temporary restriction on the importation of orange effective June 17 to August 31, 2024.
The country’s protectionist policies have not been limited to food items only, but a few other products as well.
Effective 1st October 2024, importation of pre-packed cement shall be restricted, a move which the Botswana Cement Manufacturers Association (BCMA) described as a major milestone for the industry.
In a statement following the announcement, BCMA chairman, Nkosi Mwaba, said as an industry, cement producers have come a long way in engaging the government and demonstrating the importance of supporting local players in this sector and its value chain.
Mwaba said Botswana utilises 600,000 metric tonnes (mt) of cement per annum, which is the national demand.
He said the supply of bulk loads is excluded, which are used for ready-mix and construction projects and make up 25 percent of national demand, local producers are expected to produce and supply at least 450,000 mt of pre-packed cement, mainly 50 kilograms bags, annually.
The current, total available capacity within Botswana is said to be 480,000 mt amongst the three existing players in the market.
Mwaba said it has been resolved amongst the BCMA membership that national production be increased by 20 percent by September 2024.
The Association expects that by the time the statutory instrument comes into effect, local producers can produce well more than 500 mt of pre-packed product which will be sufficient to meet local demand.
The government also imposed restrictions on the importation of tunics, dresses, pinafores, shirts, skirts, pants, slacks, blouses, t-shirts, ties, scarf, hats, jerseys, and tracksuits for public or private pre-school, primary and secondary schools.
