04 Sep 2013

Government does not intend to change its decision to compel farmers who plough under the Integrated Support for Arable Agriculture Development (ISPAAD) programme to row plant.

The Assistant Minister of Agriculture, Mr Oreeditse Molebatsi said when government introduced ISPAAD years ago, the intention was to help farmers produce their own food but it was realised later that the results were not satisfactory hence the need to make changes.

He said farmers should not be worried by the changes and look at the difference that the changes will make in their lives. He was responding to residents of Pilikwe, Mhalapitsa and Maape villages in Tswapong South during kgotla meetings on September 2 who appealed to government to give them time to prepare for the changes in the ISPAAD programme. 

He also said farmers were given enough time to prepare for changes in the ISPAAD programme and said they could have bought the equipment for row planting to prepare themselves for the ploughing season. 

The residents maintained that they do not have equipment for row planting and it was not going to be easy for them to row plant. Mr Molebatsi however said that he was optimistic that farmers would be able to produce high yields when they row plant. 

He said even though government was spending a lot of money on ISPAAD program, it was realised that many farmers got low yields because they were not using agronomic practices like row planting to increase their yields.

He informed the residents that government will make plans to avail row planting equipment to tractor owners who do not have them. ENDS