29 Mar 2015

Qangwa and Xaxa are not prone to Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreaks due to their remoteness from the Okavango Delta.

The acting Minister of Agriculture, Mr Patrick Ralotsia also said limited livestock movements within the area also helped to keep the disease at bay.

The acting minister, however, said inspite of the areas not being FMD infected for a long time, they were affected by outbreaks that occurred in Habu in 2007 and Tubu in 2014 because such outbreak were in the same sub zone 2C.

“The constraint realised by the Qangwa/Xaxa communities and other communities in the North West District is that of capacity of the Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) Maun plant which necessitates that the selling of the cattle be regulated,” he said.

The regulation, the acting minister said, was managed through the quota allocation committee which allocates the numbers of cattle a farmer could sell from different areas at any given time. He said in 2013 the buying of cattle from farmers at Qangwa/Xaxa was 911. He also noted that “in 2014 they sold 144 cattle, and then the subzone was affected by FMD outbreak at Tubu.

Lastly, since movement restriction has been lifted following successful control of FMD, BMC is scheduled to buy from the area in May this year.” The MP for Ngami, Mr Thato Kwerepe had wanted to know whether the areas of Qangwa/Xaxa were prone to FMD outbreak, when the last outbreak was and why was it difficult for the communities to sell their cattle to BMC. ENDS