09 Apr 2017

There are 89 commercial crop farmers, 66 of whom are commercial farmers engaged in rain-fed crop production and 23 large scale horticultural farmers.

Answering a question in Parliament on April 6, Assistant Minister of Agricultural Development and Food Security, Mr Kgotla Autlwetse said the Integrated Support Programme for Arable Agriculture Development (ISPAAD) provided incentives free of charge.

The incentives, he said included 100 per cent subsidy to subsistence farmers up to five hectares on draft power, fertilizer and herbicides as well as hybrid seed for five hectares up to 16 hactares for open pollinated seed varieties.

He said ISPAAD also provided 35 per cent on the cost of inputs such as seeds, fertilizers and herbicides for emerging farmers for a maximum of 150 hactares and 30 per cent on the cost of inputs to commercial farmers for a maximum of 500 hactares.

Mr Autlwetse further said government facilitated access to seasonal loans to rain-fed crop farmers through Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme.

“Through this scheme, NDB provides seasonal loans at prime rate to farmers and claim the difference on interest rates between prime and market rates from my ministry. 103 rain fed crop farmers access this facility and a total of P7 million was paid to NDB as the difference during the 2015/16 season,” he said.

In addition, he said 14 horticultural farmers accessed P726 748 through the ISPAAD Horticulture Support Programme paid to suppliers during the 2016/17 cropping season.

Member of Parliament for Jwaneng-Mabutsane, Mr Shawn Ntlhaile had asked the minister to state the number of Batswana who had shown interest in commercial crop farming, the available incentives for small scale and medium scale farmers and how many of such farmers had access to finance. ENDS