01 Aug 2018

Government is working on a plan to intensify land utilisation, Vice President Slumber Tsogwane has said.

He informed residents of Gwii cattlepost and Sekgophane ward this week that the move was meant to address the issue of unutilised chunks of land in the country, especially ploughing fields.

Mr Tsogwane said government intended intensifying land utilisation through promotion of agric-tourism by allowing Batswana to combine farming and tourism on the same field.

Citizens would be allowed to divide their fields and use a certain portion for farming and the other for running ventures such as a guest house, he said.

A lot of people, he said,  had abandoned their fields and migrated to urban areas due to red tapes on land utilisation.

Mr Tsogwane stated that government was also working on establishing a programme whereby farmers would be assisted to fence fields located in one place and work as a cooperative.

Government, he said, would debush fields and plough for farmers explaining that farmers would get a larger share of the produce whilst government would get a smaller portion as reimbursement  for services provided.

On human-wildlife conflict, Vice President Tsogwane said government sought to address the issue jointly with the public. ENDS