Gearing Up for 2024: Key Crops and Export Opportunities for Botswana Farmers
As Botswana farmers make plans for the 2024 growing season and beyond, understanding which crops and commodities have the best sales prospects on global and regional markets can inform decisions around production, partnerships, and export readiness. While beef exports have long dominated Botswana’s overseas agricultural trade, expanding into other high-potential exports like legumes, sorghum and cotton could provide welcome commodity diversification for local farmers. This 2024 market forecast outlines top crops and attributes that will drive demand from foreign buyers.
Pulses: Rising Global Appetite for Plant Proteins
Expanding populations and higher incomes in developing nations are fueling elevated demand for plant-based proteins. As meat alternatives or for direct human consumption, pulses like dry beans, chickpeas and peas represent affordable sources of protein. Botswana already has a foothold in pulse exports, largely to South Africa and Europe. But added investments to boost yields, achieve global certification standards, and establish buyer relationships can help position Botswana as a preferred pulse origin. Collaboration between farmers will aid pursuing large volume sales.
Sorghum: Increasing Use for Food and Feed
Traditionally used in Africa for food products, industrial sorghum varieties are gaining attention globally as animal feedstock and biofuel thanks to drought resistance traits. While Botswana will face export competition from other sorghum producers like Nigeria, Australia and Argentina, sorghum can diversify crop options for local farmers. Helpful steps include expanding planting acreage, elevating grain quality benchmarks, and collaborating across the value chain to enable scaled exports to both regional and overseas feed manufacturers by 2024.
Beef: Always in Demand But Competition is Fierce
Botswana’s grass-fed beef export industry has long capitalized on access to EU markets. However, climate change impacting grazing lands and fierce competition from Brazil, Australia and India applying pricing pressures, maintaining beef export profitability requires focus. Regional cooperation to share breeding and animal health resources can assist. At the farmer level, consideration of local feedlot finishing can elevate carcass quality. Differentiating Botswana beef further via hormone-free or sustainability certifications also presents possibilities to secure premium export pricing.
Cotton: Prospects Dependent on Global Production Cuts
Cotton is another familiar commodity for Botswana farmers, though China and India dominate global exports. With worldwide cotton reserves at high levels currently, depressed world prices are forecasted through 2024 limiting profitability for Botswana producers. However if major exporting countries enact acreage reductions, cotton pricing could rebound over 2023-2024. Positioning for recovery by safeguarding land suitability, upgrading picking/ginning equipment and collaborating with textile partners locally can prepare Botswana’s cotton sector.
Wool: Stiff Competition but Could Find Niche Markets
Botswana’s small scale wool industry sees domestic processors export coarse wool mainly to China. Going head-to-head against the world’s largest wool exporter Australia is difficult. However by pooling production quantities to enable large export lots, and targeting buyers wanting sustainably produced specialty wool for items like suits or upholstery, niche market sales opportunities may open by 2024. Farm groups should explore wool quality enhancements, and manufacturer/retailer partnerships to build beneficial export channels.
In Summary By evaluating global market forces and demand drivers for major agricultural commodities, Botswana farmers can make informed choices on which crops represent viable export options come 2024. Taking steps around production quality and consistency, supply chain coordination and buyer relationships over 2023/2024 can help position Botswana farmers to capitalize on overseas sales opportunities when the time is right.
