20 Apr 2020

Regional veterinary officer for North East district says farmer’ laid back attitude towards the old-age vocation of farming is the reason the latter flock offices looking for permits, something he notes work against government’s effort to clamp down on COVID 19.

Dr Kefilwe Makgetho told BOPA in an interview today in Francistown that since the inception of the lockdown early this month, his office had been overwhelmed by farmers asking for livestock sector related permits.

“At the beginning of the extreme social distancing, we issued up to 100 permits daily but have since narrowed the number to twenty. This is in line with government’s extreme social distancing policy to curb the movement of people that could backfire on the efforts to fight coronavirus,” he said.

According to Dr Makgetho, the casual nature of farming by most of the farmers across the length and breadth of Botswana, whereby farmers do not construct permanent and habitable houses at the cattle posts was the primary reason the veterinary offices were flooded with farmers seeking permits daily.

“This is the main reason people come here every morning to ask for permissions to run numerous farming related activities because they have no place to stay at their cattle posts except to go back and forth like is the case now,” he said.

He thus stated firmly that the advent of COVID 19 should be an eye opener for those within the farming sector to contemplate taking farming to another level so that aspirations by Botswana to be self-sufficient in food could become a reality.

Bee keeping technician at Feed Centre Botswana, Mr Seeletso Sikalesele okayed service rendered by the regional veterinary office in Francistown. “Some people may not be satisfied with limited number of permits issued by the office on a daily basis but again they should look at the bigger picture here, which is to fight the spread of the COVID 19,” he said. Ends