Read-out of the FAO Director-General’s meeting with Molebatsi Shimane Molebatsi, Assistant Minister for Agriculture of the Republic of Botswana
Rome - FAO Director-General QU Dongyu today met Molebatsi Shimane Molebatsi, Assistant Minister for Agriculture of the Republic of Botswana, at the sidelines of the 35th Session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries in Rome (5 – 9 September 2022).
The Assistant Minister thanked the Director-General for the Organization’s continued support and technical assistance. He underlined the fisheries and aquaculture needs of Botswana, noting the necessity to increase productivity, capacity development and address the impacts of the climate crisis.
The Director-General welcomed the Assistant Minister and shared with him the need to have a holistic aquaculture strategy for Africa. In this regard, he underlined the importance of knowledge and experience-sharing amongst neighboring countries in addition to specific fisheries policies to boost the involvement of the private sector. The Director-General explained how the fisheries sector is production-efficient and a nutrient food source that can greatly improve food security.
The two deliberated on how a holistic design for the fisheries sector, from production to market, can also benefit smallholder farmers and promote market differentiation, through the FAO One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) programme. The Director-General further expanded on how a circular economy can also address the adverse impacts of the climate crisis and promote solutions, such as water management, to address its current effects.
The two agreed to explore further how best to cooperate in this regard.