12 Oct 2020

Ramotswa  MP has encouraged farmers in his constituency to embrace associations.

Mr Lefoko Moagi said this in Mogobane and Ratauyagae farms recently during a meeting with community representatives.

Mr Moagi said the community had not fully gained from structures such as cluster fencing due to differences between members.

“Meeting of minds is a challenge, you fight,” the MP, who is also Minister of Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy Security, said.

Mr Moagi said conflicts between members had led to some members of structures abdicating their responsibilities.

Such attitude, he said deprived the community from benefitting from opportunities from such programmes.

He also indicated that some members of cluster fencing structures had deserted their farms yet they were provided with services such as water connection.

“Such farmers could be taking advantage of the provisions and be active and supply white maize which is in shortfall given that the country is facing shortage of food hence importing bulk of food to feed itself,” he said.
As such, he implored farmers to work together to develop themselves as well as the country, adding government provided some programmes to empower farmers and substitute reliance on food imports.

Furthermore, Mr Moagi  asked farmers not to be enticed into selling their farms, given that farming land was becoming more limited.

He also told the meetings that the country was faced with shortage of smallstock hence appealed to farmers to venture into smallstock businesses.

The MP also acknowledged bad conditions of access roads to farms.

However, he told them that the ministry was in consultations with relevant departments to address the problem.

In their comments, the community decried stock theft in their area, something that Lobatse police station commander, Superintendent Elias Magosi acknowledged.

However, he encouraged farmers to care for their animals and ensure that they had earmarks and branded accordingly.

However, he said the police were doing their best to deal with stock theft through collaboration with the farming community. ends