02 Aug 2017

Elephants, kudus, elands and sables are causing havoc for small and commercial farmers in Pandamatenga.

Speaking at this year’s Chobe Agricultural Show, the chairperson of small farmers association, Mr Edgar Moyo said their efforts in production were being frustrated by the animals.

He also complained about inadequate resources such as vehicles at the Department of Wildlife and National Parks. Mr Moyo also added that lions had wiped out the farmers’ livestock. “Lions no longer attack our livestock at night, they now pounce on them during daytime,” he said.

The chairperson of Pandamatenga Commercial Farmers Association, Mr Devin Wheeler said although their farms were fenced, they were home to a large number of eland, tsessebe, kudu, sable and giraffes whose numbers were growing every year resulting in large scale crop damage.

“We have now come to the decision to capture and relocate the wildlife at the farmers’ expense,” he said.

He added that last year during the drought, farmers pumped water for wildlife in their personal capacities in the CH8 concession area to protect wildlife from thirst.

Mr Wheeler also appealed to the Minister of Agricultural Development and Food Security, Mr Patrick Ralotsia for a waiver regarding an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study required for small farmers to have their farms fenced, saying it was too expensive for them.

Farmers also complained about the deteriorating relationship between themselves and Botswana Agricultural Marketing Board (BAMB) as well as BAMB’s lack of adequate storage for their produce.

In his address, the Minister of Agricultural Development and Food Security, Mr Patrick Ralotsia emphasised the importance of storage in addressing issues of food security, and said it needed to be addressed as a matter of urgency.

 He added that the change of name by his ministry to include food security was to emphasise that they needed to improve the production of food, reduce the import bill, create sustainable long-term productive employment in the sector and diversify the agricultural sector through high value chain.

“Pandamatenga is one of the regions that has been giving impressive yield, and I am informed that almost 80 per cent of the national cereal demand comes from

Pandamatenga,” he said, adding that government would continue to provide a conducive environment to improve agricultural production during National Development Plan 11 plan period.

The Member of Parliament for Chobe, Mr Machana Shamukuni emphasised the need to address problem animals which were cited as an impediment to farming in Pandamatenga.

He also urged the minister to ensure that BAMB challenges were addressed in the quickest possible time.

This year’s show was held under the theme: Unity and technology of Chobe, filling the Botswana food basket. 

Kgosi Rebecca Banika of Pandamatenga assured the minister of her village’s commitment towards continued food production despite what she said was the belief by some that farm work was degrading.

“In my village, we are hard at work grooming youth to become potential young farmers by involving them in farming early on,” she said. ENDS