29 Jan 2020

Local Government and Rural Development Assistant Minister, Mr Kgotla Autlwetse, says there are currently five vacant extension areas in the North East District.

Answering a question in Ntlo ya Dikgosi on behalf of the Minister of Agricultural Development and Food Security, Mr Autlwetse said so far three vacant extension areas of Matshelagabedi, Nlaphakwane and Masunga had been filled with temporary agricultural demonstrators.

 He said the remaining two being Matsiloje and Mapoka would be filled with officers who would be graduating from the Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (BUAN) this May.

Furthermore, Mr Autlwetse said the ministry was aware that the effectiveness of the ratio of one agricultural demonstrator per 500 farm families on average 1:500 was exacerbated by shortage of transport.

He said the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security, was faced with shortage of agricultural demonstrators country wide, because there were two classes of about 40 agricultural demonstrators on an upgrading course at BUAN.

To alleviate the situation, he said some extension areas had been combined so that they could be serviced by one agricultural demonstrator, adding that temporary agricultural demonstrators and field assistants were employed every year to augment the front line extension workers.

He however, said the ministry was not aware that North East was serviced from Francistown for the LIMID programme.

“We have two LIMID officers based at Masunga and Francistown respectively, in addition we have deployed one technical assistant and 10 agricultural field assistants in extension areas across the district, to provide departmental extension services including LIMID implementation,” he said.

Mr Autlwetse further said the extension areas include Tsamaya, Tshesebe, Kalakamati, Makaleng, Tati Siding, Ramokgwebana, Mapoka, Matsiloje and Matshelagabedi.

He said the field fencing component of the ISPAAD programme started at extension area level through verification of field certificate and completion of application form as well as provision of bills of quantities.

Mr Autlwetse said the ministry was aware that there was no veterinary doctor based at Masunga, adding that due to financial constraints, it also had limited office space at Masunga to accommodate both veterinary surgeon and paraprofessionals at the same time.

 The veterinary team responsible for North East District, he said, was still in Francistown, adding the small office block at Masunga had few offices, which were shared between Department of Veterinary Services and Department of Animal Production frontline officers.

“For animal health services that require veterinary surgeons, clinical cases are referred to and attended by veterinary surgeons based at head office in Francistown,” he said.

Kgosi Sibangani Mosojane of North East had wanted to know when the ministry would replace the agricultural demonstrators in the selected villages, which used to have them in the region.

He also wanted to know if the ministry was aware that the ration of 1:5 for a demonstrator per village was not feasible given the challenges of transport.

 Kgosi Mosojane also wanted to know if the minister was aware that the North East District was serviced from Francistown for the LIMID programme and other services such as field fencing, and that there was no veterinary doctor based in Masunga to service the district.

He further wanted to know how the situation would he addressed. ENDS