Moringa and other High Value Crops: Why Farmer’s Pride International Is Championing Bio-Industrialisation in Botswana

Botswana must move beyond measuring agricultural progress only by hectares planted, farmers trained or tonnes harvested. The greater opportunity is to convert our biological resources into complete industries that manufacture food, nutritional ingredients, botanical extracts, cosmetics, animal-feed products, agricultural inputs and export-ready consumer goods.

This is why Farmer’s Pride International is championing the establishment of Bio-Industries through Agriculture-Based Clusters.

The lesson from China’s bamboo industry

China did not build its bamboo economy by treating bamboo as a plant that should simply be grown and sold in its raw form. It developed research institutions, industrial clusters, standards, processing technologies, financing systems, manufacturing companies and domestic and export markets around it.

The result is instructive.

According to China’s National Forestry and Grassland Administration, the country’s bamboo industry now:

• Generates more than 520 billion yuan—approximately US$74.4 billion—annually;
• Manufactures more than 15,000 types of bamboo products;
• Includes more than 10,000 bamboo-processing enterprises;
• Supports more than 29 million jobs across the complete value chain;
• Uses approximately eight million hectares of bamboo forests;
• Produces around 150 million tonnes of bamboo annually.

 

Government of China bamboo-industry statistics, 27 January 2026

From one biological resource, China manufactures furniture, flooring, construction materials, household products, paper, textiles, food, charcoal, energy products, crafts and substitutes for certain plastic products.

The industrial-cluster model is equally important. In 2024, the Chinese city of Linxiang reportedly generated 4.58 billion yuan from its bamboo industry, supported 60,000 jobs and developed more than 600 processing enterprises producing over 480 products. Hunan Provincial Government.

The lesson for Botswana is not that we must copy China or replace our crops with bamboo.

The lesson is that one biological resource can support many interconnected industries when production, science, processing, finance, standards and markets are deliberately organised.

Botswana must stop exporting potential

Botswana possesses land, farmers, indigenous knowledge, renewable-energy potential and biological resources. Yet too many agricultural programmes end at training, production or the sale of raw materials.

When a raw crop leaves the farm without local processing, Botswana also exports opportunities for:

• Manufacturing;
• Product development;
• Packaging;
• Laboratory testing;
• Transport and warehousing;
• Branding;
• Intellectual property;
• Wholesale and retail distribution;
• Women- and youth-owned enterprises;
• Skilled employment;
• Export earnings.

FPI is therefore not promoting farming alone. We are promoting the construction of complete biological industries.

Six anchor crops for Botswana’s Bio-Industry

1. Moringa

Moringa can become the foundation of a nutrition, botanical, cosmetic and agricultural-input industry.

Subject to scientific testing, regulatory approval and verified markets, the value chain can manufacture:

• Fresh and dried leaves;
• Moringa leaf powder;
• Herbal teas and beverage blends;
• Fortified food and nutrition products;
• Moringa seed oil;
• Soaps, lotions and cosmetic formulations;
• Standardised botanical ingredients;
• Animal-feed ingredients;
• Compost and biological soil products;
• Seed cake and other circular-economy products;
• Research-based water-treatment and biomaterial applications.

The objective should not be to sell leaves only. Botswana should develop different grades and product streams so that more of the harvested material creates value.

2. Hibiscus

Hibiscus can support:

• Dried calyces;
• Herbal teas;
• Juice and beverage concentrates;
• Syrups and jams;
• Natural food colours;
• Botanical extracts;
• Cosmetic ingredients;
• Branded retail products.

A Hibiscus industry would require organised production, drying, moisture control, testing, extraction, cold-chain or shelf-stable beverage manufacturing and strong consumer branding.

3. Turmeric

Turmeric creates opportunities in food, beverage, colourant, botanical and cosmetic manufacturing.

Potential products include:

• Fresh and dried rhizomes;
• Turmeric powder;
• Spice blends;
• Turmeric beverages;
• Natural food colourants;
• Oleoresins;
• Curcumin-rich extracts;
• Cosmetic ingredients;
• Packaged culinary products.

Extraction and health-related claims must follow appropriate scientific and regulatory processes.

4. Ginger

A Botswana Ginger industry could produce:

• Fresh Ginger;
• Dried slices;
• Ginger powder;
• Herbal teas;
• Juice concentrates;
• Syrups;
• Confectionery ingredients;
• Essential oils;
• Oleoresins;
• Branded spice and beverage products.

Processing would increase shelf life and reduce dependence on selling only fresh produce during a limited marketing period.

5. Chilli

Chilli can support a broad food-processing and ingredient industry:

• Fresh Chilli;
• Dried whole Chilli;
• Flakes;
• Powder;
• Sauces;
• Pastes;
• Spice blends;
• Oleoresin;
• Capsaicin-based industrial applications;
• Branded household and hospitality products.

Botswana can develop different varieties and heat levels for domestic, SADC, AfCFTA and international markets.

6. Devil’s Claw

Devil’s Claw is an important indigenous botanical resource with potential in regulated natural-products markets.

Possible value-added products include:

• Cleaned and dried root material;
• Sliced botanical ingredients;
• Powdered material;
• Standardised extracts;
• Formulated and packaged herbal products.

Its commercialisation must be governed carefully through sustainable cultivation or harvesting, traceability, botanical testing, controlled product claims, indigenous-knowledge protection and fair benefit sharing.

Agriculture-Based Clusters will form the production foundation

Bio-Industries cannot operate without reliable raw materials. At the same time, farmers cannot produce commercially without water, energy, technical support, processing and markets.

Agriculture-Based Clusters connect these requirements within territorial production and industrial systems.

Each cluster should bring together:

• Organised farmers;
• Verified land and water;
• Nurseries and planting materials;
• Climate-smart production;
• Irrigation and renewable energy;
• Extension and digital monitoring;
• Aggregation centres;
• Drying and processing;
• Laboratories and certification;
• Packaging and storage;
• Logistics;
• Domestic and export markets;
• Appropriate finance;
• Accountable governance.

This is the relationship:

Agriculture-Based Clusters organise production.
Bio-Industries convert production into multiple products.
Markets turn those products into income, jobs and export earnings.

What this could create for Botswana

A properly governed six-crop Bio-Industry programme could create enterprises in:

• Seed and planting-material multiplication;
• Nurseries;
• Irrigation installation;
• Renewable-energy servicing;
• Bio-input manufacturing;
• Farm management;
• Harvesting;
• Drying;
• Milling and extraction;
• Laboratory testing;
• Packaging;
• Warehousing;
• Transport;
• Digital traceability;
• Product formulation;
• Branding;
• Domestic distribution;
• Export administration.

Women and young people should not participate only as casual labourers. They should own nurseries, dryers, laboratories, packaging businesses, logistics companies, digital services and processing enterprises.

The policy opportunity

This proposed architecture supports the objectives of NDP 12, BETP, the National Transformation Strategy and Vision 2036 by connecting agriculture to manufacturing, technology, finance, employment and exports.

It can also advance:

• Food and nutrition security;
• Rural industrialisation;
• Import replacement;
• AfCFTA trade;
• Climate-smart agriculture;
• Women’s economic empowerment;
• Youth enterprise development;
• Renewable energy;
• Circular production;
• SDGs 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13 and 17.

This alignment should not be interpreted as formal government adoption or institutional financing of FPI’s programme. Formal participation must follow proper engagement, approval and due diligence.

FPI’s position

Farmer’s Pride International believes Botswana should not be satisfied with becoming a producer of raw agricultural commodities.

We must become a producer of finished food, botanical ingredients, nutritional products, cosmetics, agricultural inputs and internationally competitive brands.

China’s bamboo industry shows what becomes possible when a nation stops seeing only a plant and begins seeing an industrial ecosystem.

Botswana’s Moringa, Hibiscus, Turmeric, Ginger, Chilli and Devil’s Claw can provide the biological foundation. Agriculture-Based Clusters can organise the production. Bio-Industrialisation can multiply the products, enterprises, jobs and markets.

The time has come to move from planting crops to building industries.

Farmer’s Pride International invites government, farmers, universities, research institutions, financiers, processors, investors, buyers and development organisations to help build Botswana’s Bio-Industry responsibly.

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