23 Aug 2015

Assistant Minister of Agriculture Mr Fidelis Molao says there is an ongoing discussion on how to permanently solve the problem of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in the North East district.

Speaking during a tour of the Matopi cordon fence on Saturday (August 22), Mr Molao said some people have suggested that arable farming should be done along to act as a bufler zone against movement between neighbouring Zimbabwe and Botswana.

He said the relevant stakeholders were still discussing further because should such a suggestion be implemented, the farmers will still face yet another problem of elephants destroying crops as they currently do to the cordon fence to cross between the two countries.

He said there was need to consult the community on the best ways that could be implemented to better help them deal with the problem of elephants.

The deputy director of the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS), Dr Letlhogile Oarabile said they were concerned about FMD reports in the neighbouring Zimbabwe.

He said they used chilli pepper tin in an effort to keep away troublesome elephants from the cordon fence and ensuring that cattle from Zimbabwe did not cross into Botswana.

Dr Oarabile further said the surveillance of the FMD in the kraals across the North East district was on-going. As such, he appealed to farmers to cooperate with agricultural officials.

He said they would continue to strengthen ways of ensuring that FMD did not cross into Botswana.

The principal veterinary officer, Dr Kefilwe Makgeto said DVS was replacing the old cordon fence with a new one because parts of the old one are irreparable.

He said while his ministry ensured that elephants and cattle did not cross into Botswana, the Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security through the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) and police patrols ensured that people did not cut the fence.

He said two tractors were also dispatched to cut the grass in between the buffer zones because it was realised that some people deliberately cut the fences so that their cattle could graze in the lush zone. 

A Matsiloje based veterinary officer, Mr Tomeletso Tomeletso said prior to using chilli pepper, elephants used to destroy an area of about six square kilometres but after using the repulsive plant, the damage was reduced considerably to only about 10 metres.

A charge hand, Mr Lefoko Ratshipa observed that most elephants moved between the local dam and the river everyday and in the process destroyed the cordon fence.

Mr Ratshipa also observed that in most cases cattle from Zimbabwe crossed into Botswana because of good pastures since the North East district farmers relocated their cattle away from the cordon fence.

Kgosi Tshimologo Toteng of Matopi decried that elephants left farmers in the area with nothing to harvest, despite their efforts to till land last season thereby reversing government’s efforts towards food sercurity through free seeds, fertilizers, and subsidised ploughing, among other things. Ends