01 Nov 2017

Department of Crops director, Mr Galeitsiwe Ramakapana has informed Pandamatenga small scale farmers that his department is ready to assist them with cluster fencing if they can address the issue of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

Mr Ramakapana said this when responding to their comments as they called on government to consider a waiver and assist them with the fencing of their fields.

Farmers complained that they were struggling to produce good harvest due to wildlife which terrorised their fields because there was no fence.

They said despite their efforts to form clusters, they were still finding it difficult to find assistance from government because they were expected to conduct an EIA first which they said was costly for them to engage a consultant.

However, he advised them to engage relevant authorities to address the EIA issue, adding that his department supported their concern as they could not produce more harvest without a fence.

He said small scale farming  was still a viable business as government encouraged people to venture into farming to sustain themselves and feed the nation.

Earlier on, some farmers revealed that they had all the farming machinery and wished government could respond positively to their plea.

Speaking on behalf of the farmers, Mr Edison Ramonkga explained that when the farms were developed through cluster fencing, some were left out, adding that currently their efforts were frustrated by wildlife such as elephants.

He said small scale farmers remained committed to contributing to the country’s food security and hoped government could consider assisting them with fencing their farms.

He said farmers were financially challenged to conduct an EIA as expected and called for a waiver.

He said they wanted the country to be self sufficient in food and sell the surplus to other countries.

Another farmer, Ms Deliwe Moalosi shared the same sentiments, noting that despite efforts to improve crop production, they were competing with wildlife.

Furthermore, she complained that government was losing millions as they were assisted with seeds and fertilizers, but they were not benefiting due to wildlife which destroyed their crops.

Mr Kebalepile Louis said the issue of an EIA was a stumbling block for them to access assistance in cluster fencing as they had no money.

He said they had done all the requirements but that to engage a consultant was a problem.

The area MP, Mr Machana Shamukuni urged the relevant ministry to re-visit the issue of EIA considering the fact that there was a lot of interaction with wildlife in Pandamatenga farms.

He said the issue of an EIA also caused delays in agriculture production, noting that the area was designated for arable farming, but that it was disturbing as farmers could not produce good harvest as expected. BOPA