23 Nov 2014

Minister of Lands and Housing, Mr Prince Maele has told Parliament that Ngwato Land Board has in December last year approved the conversion of part of Dukwi quarantine from pastoral to commercial arable farming.

Responding to a parliamentary question on Friday, November 22, Mr Maele said a layout comprising 28 commercial farms was then designed and surveyed.

He also explained that the Ministry of Agriculture was then engaged to undertake a strategic environmental assessment for the area.

The ministry, he said, had since engaged a consultancy company to do the study and work started in August and was expected to be completed by December this year after which the tendering process and eventual allocations would start.

The minister was responding to a question by Nata/Gweta MP, Mr Paulson Majaga who had wanted to know when the invitation for bids and/or allocation of Dukwi arable commercial ranches would be done. ENDS