28 Jun 2015

President Lt Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama has declared the whole country drought stricken.

A press release from the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development stated that this followed findings of the Drought and Household Food Security Outlook conducted from March to April.

The assessment indicated that there was a significant decline in rainfall distribution, which was coupled with scorching heat wave resulting in low hectorage ploughed or planted.

It also said the yield forecast for 2014/15 had drastically declined with the national estimated production for cereals standing at 7 382 metric tons (mt) that was three per cent of the national cereal requirement of 300 000mt.

The release also stated that the available grazing and water would not sustain livestock until the next rainy season as a result of the poor rainfall received and dry spell experienced.

Furthermore, it said water levels were observed to be relatively low in catchment areas for the Okavango, Chobe-Zambezi, Ngotwane, and Limpopo rivers, as compared to the year 2013/2014 and that has resulted in reduced inflows into the dams and recharge into well-fields.

Overall, it says nutrition status of children aged 0-59 months is improving across the health districts. However, malnutrition levels in some areas are still higher than the 3 per cent national target for total malnutrition.

The release further stated that wildlife, rangeland and water conditions had declined as compared to the year 2013/14 and although most districts received normal to below normal rainfall, there was abundance of biomass produced in the year 2013/14.

Therefore, high number of fire outbreaks was anticipated.

It said relief measures and actions to be adopted for the period July 1 this year to June 30, 2016 include that government, through the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning paid 85 per cent of the 2014/15 seasonal loans to farmers eligible under the Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme (ACGS) who secured their loans through Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency (CEDA) and National Development Bank (NDB).

Government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, would  also provide a 25 per cent subsidy to farmers on items purchased through the Livestock Advisory Centres (LACs) and Botswana Agricultural Marketing Board (BAMB) which include 50 kilograms of Di-Calcium Phosphate, drought pellets, coarse salt, dairy meal, 30 kg of bran, and Lucerne/lab lab/maize /sorghum stalk bales.

It said the government, through the Ministry of Minerals Energy and Water Resources, would also provide funds for emergency water supply projects to augment the human current water supply situation.

Ministry of Environment Wildlife and Tourism (MEWT) will utilise funds available from its current budget for construction and maintenance of firebreaks in Kgalagadi, Ghanzi, Kweneng, Ngamiland and Central Districts as well as maintenance of fences at Dithopo Game Ranch, Kalahari Trans Frontier Park, Khutse Game Reserve, Makgadikgadi and Tuli Backline.

Further, the release said the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning as well as that of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism will avail funds for procurement of trucks to be used in veldt fire management and control.

Also, the release stated that government, through Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, should provide a second meal at primary schools in RAD Settlements and in the Okavango and also provide double food ration for vulnerable groups (Under 5, 5-6 years, TB outpatients, lactating and expectant mothers) countrywide.

Ministry of Health, it said, should provide direct feeding to children (0-59 months) who are moderately malnourished and continue to provide ready to use therapeutic foods for severely malnourished children, and step up nutritional surveillance, including monthly review of the nutritional situational situation to, amongst others, determine the need or otherwise for further government intervention. Ends