17 Jun 2018

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Mr Patrick Ralotsia has informed Rakops residents that they will no longer incur travel costs to acquire animal ear tags as they will now be sold in their village.

Minister Ralotsia who was addressing a joint kgotla meeting with the Minister of Environment, Natural Resources, Conservation and Tourism Mr Tshekedi Khama in Rakops on Tuesday said farmers would be fined if they failed to ear tag their livestock, stating that EU requirements had to be met for purposes of traceability.

“The ear tags will be sold in Rakops on Tuesday and Thursday. The ear tag service provision was only interrupted due to network failure,” he said.

He explained that Botswana was once barred from selling to EU market due lack of traceability system.

He said the Botswana Meat Commission abattoir in Francistown was still functioning while considerations were in place to offer farmers an opportunity to be part of abattoir management.

He however said the only challenge encountered by the abattoir was that of delayed payment to farmers.

“Payment delay in most instances was caused by the fact that BMC can only afford to pay farmers after receiving payment from the buyer. Since farmers will be given chance to play a role on abattoir management they will provide advice on how payments can be enhanced,” he said.

He said 80 per cent of cattle in Botswana were reared in communal areas and only 20 per cent were in ranches.

Mr Ralotsia thus encouraged farmers to undertake training in Artificial Insemination for efficiency especially that Artificial Insemination in Boteti West was currently conducted at Makalamabedi only.

To ensure provision of service, he said a veterinary officer would be posted to serve in Khumaga in August as the one who had been serving in Rakops had gone for further training.

He also advised farmers to seek expertise advice before they could start ploughing saying there were some people who only ploughed to get payment.

He further advised farmers to dig trenches around their boreholes to prevent elephants from destroying them.

Commenting on the minister’s words, one of the farmers Mr Rudy Albert was against the idea of digging trenches saying it would be a bit pricey for them as it involved a huge chunk of land.

Mr Albert had also complained that artificial insemination service provision was not available in Rakops.

Mr Otsile Mmatlakgomo requested that private abattoirs be awarded export permit to sell meat outside Botswana. He also called for review of the compensation fund for livestock killed by predators.

He suggested that there should be a fund for compensation of loss of life by humans due to wild animals.

Mr Martin Engliton expressed concern that meat inspectors in Rakops were understaffed saying they were incapacitated to assist them efficiently especially at the abattoir.

Another resident Mr Ditshego Ramakhubu said they had high hopes that the Francistown abattoir would be revived, adding that it was critical to consider hiring the youth to lead big organisations.

Mr Ramakhubu said their efforts to establish private artificial insemination institutions were frustrated by lack of land.  ENDS