14 Feb 2017

The Assistant Minister of Agricultural Development and Food Security Mr Kgotla Autlwetse has implored farmers to meet government halfway on issues of farming.
Addressing the Tati East Constituency Farmers’ Committee in Matshelagabedi last week, Mr Autlwetse urged farmers to play their part towards realising and sustaining food security in the country.
“Government has invested a lot in farming through a number of initiatives as such, it is important for farmers to join hands and work hard to combat poverty,” he appealed.
He urged them to be self-reliant and resolve minor problems before they grew into bigger ones that might eventually need government’s intervention.
The minister also urged farmers to fit ear tags to their livestock for identity purposes, especially in instances such as where they had to be compensated.
He further said farmers should take care of their livestock, especially those living near the Zimbabwe border so that it did not cross over and attract animal diseases in the process.
“Livestock that crosses over to the neighboring country will be killed as a precaution to control the Foot and Mouth disease, which has hit this region more than once, thereby crippling farmers in the area,” he warned.
In addition, he advised farmers not to focus only on ploughing and rearing of livestock, rather they should also provide different services associated with agriculture if they were to prosper.
 “A good farming business will require you to have quality produce in order to prosper. So I urge all farmers to do their best to take it to another level, consult the agricultural sector and discuss strategies you can use to make a living out of it,” he advised. ends