09 Jul 2015

The Botswana Agricultural Marketing Board (BAMB) should give arable farmers in Ngamiland priority when the former buys farm produce, President, Lt Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama has said.

Addressing a kgotla meeting in Tsau yesterday (July 9), President Khama said Ngamiland farmers were hard hit by the Foot and Mouth Disease which made it impossible for them to have a market for their cattle. 

He, therefore, said farmers should at least benefit from their farms to earn a living. President Khama said BAMB should not exercise stiff regulations on Ngamiland farmers when they buy farm produce and should give the district priority over others.

Furthermore, he informed Tsau residents that the Department of Wildlife and National Parks did not compensate for destruction to farms caused by birds.

The compensation caused by dangerous animals such as elephants, he said, was reviewed two years ago to be 100 per cent of the destruction incurred instead of 30 per cent as it was before.

However, President Khama implored farmers to take care of their farms to avoid destruction caused by wildlife.

Residents of Tsau had raised concerns that they were not able to sell their farm produce to BAMB since they were expected to transport their products from Tsau to BAMB which they deemed to be expensive.

Kgosi Ebineng Potsoeng informed the President that his people had a successful harvest but did not have market for it. He appealed to the President to help them with market access opportunities so that they could earn a living.

For his part, the Minister of Agriculture, Mr Patrick Ralotsia said the agricultural demonstrator in Tsau should liaise with BAMB to collect produce from the farmers.

However, Minister Ralotsia said BAMB considered the quality and quantity of the agricultural produce; a factor he said might be the reason farmer’s produce was not successfully approved by BAMB.

Meanwhile, President Khama also donated blankets, bibles, chairs, football kit and footballs to the residents. ENDS