12 Feb 2020

Livestock Management and Infrastructure Development (LIMID) programme has benefitted many Batswana since its inception,  Assistant Minister of Agricultural Development and Food Security, Ms Beauty Manake has said.

Answering a question in Parliament on Monday, Ms Manake said phase two of the LIMID programme started in September 2010, with the main purpose of improving livestock productivity and to contribute to poverty eradication.

“The LIMID programme consists of two components namely, resource poor, that is small stock and Tswana chickens and infrastructure development, which includes livestock water development, animal husbandry and fodder support and abattoirs,” she said.

She revealed that the water development package consists of borehole drilling, borehole equipping, borehole purchase and water reticulation as well as small herd owner’s scheme for farmers who own less than 40 cattle.

“Since the inception of LIMID Phase II in September 2010, 57 599 applications were approved out of which 38 171 projects have been implemented at a cost of P575 065 469. The implemented projects include 32 209 small stock, 4 097 Tswana chickens, 1 299 animal husbandry and fodder support (AHFS) and 566 water development projects,” Ms Manake said.

She further said that the borehole drilling package under the LIMID programme was available for serious arable farmers.

“LIMID assists with borehole drilling only to pastoral farmers in communal areas and in livestock farms, which include small stock farms, beef farms, dairy farms, feedlots, beef and fodder production farms. The programme assists farmers as individuals or groups,” Ms Manake revealed.

She added however, that if a farmer had been assisted through LIMID for the above-mentioned activities, he or she could apply to the land authorities for change of land use to include other agricultural activities such as serious arable farming, land permitting.

“The number of Batswana who benefited from the LIMID programme for the past five years is 27 125.

The number of Batswana who benefited from the drilling package under LIMID over the past five years is 213,” Ms Manake said.

Ms Manake was answering a parliamentary question from the Member of Parliament (MP) for Francistown South, Mr Wynter Mmolotsi, who had asked the minister if it was true that LIMID has a programme to drill boreholes for individual farmers who want to venture into serious arable farming.

Mr Mmolotsi also sought to know how many Batswana had benefitted from the programme in the last five years. ENDS