23 Dec 2020

 In an effort to improve Information Communication and Technology (ICT) in farms nationwide, President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi has announced a new competition that would encourage farmers to install ICT equipment in their farms to improve small stock output.

Making an announcement at Lobu Small Stock Farm during Rural Development Council recently, President Dr Masisi said the competition would run for 12 months beginning January. Farmers, who have installed ICT equipment or have a digital component at their farms, would enter a competition and judges would come up with criteria that would decide the winner.
 

President Masisi promised that the champions would walk away with a quality a top end Meat Master ram or buck worth P25 000, adding that each month, there would be a donation of high quality six rams and six bucks that would be donated to those who have installed a digital component in their farms to increase production.  

The competition, he said was an elevation to the Presidential Small Stock Initiative to move it to the next level to encourage farmers to use technology in their farms.

The competition, he said would commence with a young farmer in Maun West who benefited from the Presidential Small Stock Initiative recently. The young farmer was encouraged to install ICT equipment in his farm to manage the farm and he was promised a top end meat master ram worth P25 000. The competition would be open to every farmer.

He said each year there would be new additions to the Presidential Small Stock Initiative until the mission of having farmers who can produce high quality small stock in large quantities was accomplished. The development, he said, would encourage small stock farmers to produce more to be able to meet the local and international market demands and in the process transform household economies.

Furthermore, President Dr Masisi acknowledged that land distribution for farming was a great challenge. Thus, he said, he would ensure that small stock holdings land was availed to farmers to be able to produce large quantities to adequately supply the market, which had been secured in Saudi Arabia, China and Norway.

The land distribution patterns, he said, would incorporate fodder production component where farmers would be able to grow fodder and produce feeds for their small stock. He emphasised that it was critical for government to facilitate small stock farmers adequately to close any existing gaps in the small stock value chain.

Additionally, government ranches, which have turned into white elephants, will be resuscitated for small stock production. The target was for the youth to dominate the small stock production space and other serious commercial farmers to be able to produce high quality breeds in large quantities.

To get the land, there would be stringent screening processes to get serious and determined small stock farmers. The land allocation was expected to commence in 2021 and would be implemented under available government programmes such as Livestock Management and Infrastructure Development (LIMID) and Integrated Support Programme for Arable Agriculture Development (ISPAAD).

Moreover, President Dr Masisi said, marketing of the Presidential Small Stock initiative would be intensified where there would be cooking competitions using meat from local small stock farmers. At the same time, a fashion competition would be arranged to market clothes produced by Batswana fashion designers using the Swakara leather as the country has Swakara sheep, which is purely bred for leather production.

The RDC was attended by the Vice President and RDC chairperson, Mr Slumber Tsogwane, the council vice chairperson and Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Eric Molale, Ntlo Ya Dikgosi chairperson Kgosi Puso Gaborone, cabinet ministers, permanent secretaries, and senior government officials. Ends