Botswana Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in botswana, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Agricultural Sectors
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Overview 

Botswana’s agricultural sector, while contributing less than 2 percent to GDP, is vital to the livelihoods of many citizens who rely on subsistence farming.  The Government is eager to expand its farming yields in the coming years.  The country has a surface area of 581,730 km², with 46 percent zoned for agricultural production.  However, constrained productivity, unreliable water supply, and poor soils—70 percent of Botswana’s landscape is desert—limit crop production.  Major crops include sorghum, maize, millet, and pulses, with commercial farming concentrated in the Pandamatenga area (Chobe District) and Barolong Farms in the south.

Botswana imports most of its food and beverages, with imports totaling $86 million (1,256.3 million pula) in May 2025, representing 15.4 percent of total imports.  Local food prices are often influenced by external factors due to the country’s reliance on imports.  The Botswana Agricultural Marketing Board (BAMB) plays a key role in ensuring food security by managing the Strategic Grain Reserve (SGR), which ideally holds 30,000 MT of sorghum, 30,000 MT of maize, and 10,000 MT of pulses.  However, low production levels often prevent BAMB from meeting these targets.  While BAMB imports 95 percent of its white maize, they have reported excess availability (52,000 MT) of red sorghum which apparently is of very high quality in the world and unique to Botswana with the only one that comes close to it being red sorghum from Australia. BAMB encourages the production of drought-tolerant crops like Tswana cowpeas, as well as black-eyed cowpeas, sugar beans, red kidney beans, and peas, to address high demand and limited supply.

Raising livestock is central to Botswana’s rural economy and beef export market, with the country renowned for high-quality beef, particularly in European markets.  However, the cattle population has declined significantly, from 2.2 million in 2011 to 1.7 million in 2025, prompting government intervention, with the Ministry of Lands and Agriculture given a presidential directive to raise the cattle population to 5 million in 5 years.  In 2023, the GoB allocated P2.44 billion to the Ministry of Lands and Agriculture to enhance agricultural productivity, food security, and sustainable farming practices.  As part of these efforts, Botswana imported 162 cattle from Texas, in May 2023 to improve local breeds through artificial insemination and breeding programs.

The 2024/2025 rainfall season was declared a non-drought year by President Duma Boko, following improved rainfall, dam levels, and grazing conditions.  Despite flooding and pest infestations in February 2025, cereal production rose to 117,228 tons, meeting 39 percent of national demand compared to six percent the previous season.  This aligns with SADC’s commitment to agricultural modernization, food security, and climate resilience, as emphasized during the 45th SADC Summit in August 2025.

Fish farming presents significant potential, as Botswana consumes 4,000 metric tons of fish annually but produces only 201 metric tons locally, with the remainder imported.  The government is working to augment production through aquaculture, focusing on tilapia species such as Oreochromis andersonii and Oreochromis niloticus.  A fish hatchery in Mmadinare produces fingerlings for distribution to farmers and community dams.
The National Agricultural Research and Development Institute (NARDI), established in 2015 under the Ministry of Agriculture, drives research and technology development to improve crops and livestock production and promote environmentally sustainable farming practices.

For U.S. exporters, the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) in Pretoria provides detailed reports on agricultural opportunities in Southern Africa.  Exporters can access the Exporter Guide for South Africa and other sector reports at www.fas.usda.gov.  For further assistance, contact the Foreign Agricultural Service directly.
Botswana’s agricultural sector offers diverse opportunities in crop production, livestock farming, aquaculture, and agricultural modernization, supported by government initiatives and international partnerships. 

If you are an exporter of U.S. agricultural products, please feel free to contact the Foreign Agricultural Service for further information at the following address:

Foreign Agricultural Service 
U.S. Embassy Pretoria, South Africa 
Tel: +27-12-431 4235 
Fax: +27-12-342 2264 
Email:  mailto: agpretoria@fas.usda.gov

 

Sub-sector Best Prospects 

The Botswana agricultural sector offers strong prospects in several sub-sectors, including grains, pulses, sunflower, dairy farming, pet foods, health foods, food service, food processing, innovative farming machinery, seed production, feed manufacturing, livestock genetics, leather, and fish farming.  These areas present significant opportunities for investment and development, driven by the country’s focus on food security and agricultural diversification.

Opportunities 

Opportunities in Botswana’s agricultural sector are driven by the GoB’s focus on economic diversification and food security.  The GoB is actively seeking private sector investment to establish commercial farms, tanneries for processed hides and skins, poultry hatcheries, breeder stock and abattoirs, pig feed production, and breeder stock operations.  A notable example is a South African company’s $40 million (500 million pula) citrus project on 1,500 hectares in the SPEDU region.  Investment opportunities remain abundant as Botswana experiences shortages in nearly all agricultural products, except beef.  However, with declining cattle numbers, the country may face future beef shortages, presenting opportunities for modern cattle farming and slaughter industries.

In September 2024, the GoB inaugurated 12 steel silos in Pandamatenga with a storage capacity of 60,000 metric tons, complementing the existing 30,000 metric tons of storage facilities.  Built through collaboration between the Special Economic Zone Authority (SEZA) and the BAMB, these silos are expected to enhance food security by storing grains such as sorghum, maize, millet, beans, and sunflower.  Pandamatenga, as a special economic zone, offers significant agricultural opportunities, particularly with the upcoming Agro-Zambezi Commercial Project Water Scheme, which will provide irrigation water from the Zambezi River.  The area encompasses 97,000 hectares of arable land, including 44,000 hectares for commercial farming, 12,000 hectares for small farmers, and 41,000 hectares designated for the Zambezi integrated agro-commercial development project.

Entrepreneurial fish farming also holds considerable potential, as current operations are limited to the Chobe River and Okavango Delta and are not conducted on a commercial scale.  Other investment opportunities include the commercial production of Tswana (free-range) chicken meat and eggs, small stock farming, hatcheries for day-old broilers and point-of-lay pullets, and feed manufacturing.

Resources:

  • Botswana Ministry of Lands and Agriculture
  • U.S. Foreign Agricultural Service: www.fas.usda.gov
  • Botswana Ministry of Trade and Entrepreneurship
  • Botswana Unified Revenue Service (BURS)
     

Botswana’s agricultural sector offers diverse opportunities for investment, supported by government initiatives to expand infrastructure, improve food security, and drive economic growth.

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