Grains

Sorghum

Regarded as our staple food, Sorghum is a whole grain grown locally. There are four products namely; sorghum grain, sorghum meal, sorghum bran meal and sorghum rice.

Sorghum grain (Mabele)

Primarily used to produce Sorghum meal, Sorghum grain is mainly sold in bulk to milling companies as well as local schools for the milling process.

Sorghum meal (Bopi jwa Mabele)

“Sorghum meal, also known as "Mabele", competes directly with maize meal. When manufacturing sorghum meal, the pericarp (the bran portion) is first removed before it is milled so that an acceptable colour can be obtained”.

Maize

Maize is divided into white and yellow Maize.

White Maize

White maize is mainly sold to maize millers and individual consumers. It is by far the most popular source of carbohydrate in Botswana. White maize demand exceeds 100, 000 mt per year as compared to the local production which on average is lower than 10, 000MT per year. It can be grown successfully in the Barolong Farms, Ngwaketse South areas and Chobe Enclave and Pandamatenga.

Yellow Maize

Yellow maize is mainly sold to individual consumers and demand for it in the animal feed industry is growing. It can be grown successfully in the Chobe Enclave, Pandamatenga, Barolong Farms and Southern Ngwaketse areas. BAMB encourages farmers to grow it as the current market demand exceeds local production.

Millet

Millet is a whole grain grown locally. It is predominantly popular in the Central and Northern regions of Botswana.“Millet is a gluten-free grain that’s high in antioxidant activity, and also especially high in magnesium, a mineral that helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function. For many years, little research was done on the health benefits of millets, but recently they have been “rediscovered” by researchers, who have found millets helpful in controlling diabetes and inflammation”.