20 Nov 2016

The Minister of Agricultural Development and Food Security, Mr Patrick Ralotsia, says agricultural centres will save farmers from the distance they travel to access farming related services.

Mr Ralotsia said the ministry’s decision to construct the centres complemented efforts to improve food security and to foster a culture of self-reliance in the farming community.

The minister was among those who witnessed the ground breaking of the construction of Mmathethe Agricultural Service Centre through Economic Stimulus Programme on Monday.

‘’The Mmathethe farming community must be mindful of the fact that provision of these infrastructure means that government believes you have the potential to increase crop productivity, increase area cultivated and therefore reduce the import bill’’, he said.

He explained that Mmathethe service centre was one of three that will be constructed during 2016/17 financial year in the same token infrastructure like roads to enhance farmers productivity.

He thus urged farmers to be an exemplary by increasing crop production.

The minister said the kind of infrastructure provided addresses challenges of timely provision of farm inputs with regard to distance from farming community.

He implored the contractor and farmers to adhere to set deadlines and deliver a structure of great workmanship. “Service centres have suffered delays and attracted cost overruns something that we do not desire as government,” he said.

He expressed concern about some farmers who leave their fields unattended after ploughing saying adding to injury was some livestock owners who fail to take care of their livestock from destructing crops.

Mr Ralotsia urged farmers to form cluster groups so that the government could assist them to fence their fields and drill boreholes for them.

Mr Ralotsia said the ministry was moving forward in improving roads to the lands and connecting electricity to farmers.

Evolution Engineering Company has been tasked with construction of the centre and it has employed 26 people in and around Mmathethe.  The manager of the company Mr Dikgang Kgoboko promised to finish the project on time.

Earlier Kgosi Daniel Mathiba of Mmathethe urged farmers to intensify food production food given government efforts of assisting them.

He appealed to Batswana keep the spirit of self-reliance. ENDS