26 May 2016

The Minister of Agriculture, Mr Patrick Ralotsia, has informed residents of Kang in Kgalagadi District that construction of a small stock abattoir in Tsabong will start in July. 

Speaking at the official opening of the ministry’s annual Letsema Pitso, he said the would take 15 months. 

Mr Ralotsia said his ministry would look into adding to the three existing senior veterinary doctors in the district, but called for farmers’ patience as some matters required more time to be resolved.  

He said Letsema Pitso provided a platform for his ministry to celebrate success stories as well exchange ideas on how best to deploy innovative ways of ensuring food security. 

He noted that unfavorable weather conditions were a challenge to food production thus calling for innovative ways of farming to rescue the situation. 

Mr Ralotsia said there was  need to do away with old methods of ploughing such as broadcasting of seeds and engage modern farming implements so as to attain the best yields. 

Attaining food security, according to Mr Ralotsia, would remain a pipe dream as long as public-private partnerships are not consolidated. 

He, however, decried that private entities were failing to demonstrate fully that they were  ready to take the agriculture sector forward. ENDS

“We can only wait for them to express and make their intentions clear on this issue (public-private partnerships).”