19 Jan 2021

Mochudi East MP, Mr Mabuse Pule, has encouraged farmers in Mmathubudukwane to employ residents of the  village.

Speaking during visits to farms along Madikwe river recently, Mr Pule, who is also deputy speaker of the National Assembly, said the advantage of hiring locals was that it was less costly because they did not need work permits.

He, however, encouraged farm owners to ensure that should they employ foreigners, the latter must present valid work permits.

He encouraged farmers to acquire water rights in order to be able to source water from Madikwe river.

Mr Pule also indicated that potatoes were  some of the crops that could be planted in order to diversify crop production in the locality. He stated that the area had fertile soils and was in  proximity to the river and therefore a small market in the village was needed especially during the harvesting season.

For his part, Mmathubudukwane councillor, Mr Gaonyadiwe Bogatsu, urged the farmers to sell their produce to hawkers instead of individuals.

He explained that this was because selling to individuals meant there would be no business for hawkers.

One of the farmers Mr Fungai Zindi lamented that due to heavy rain, crops such as cabbage had been damaged.

He said most farmers harvested the same type of crops at the same time almost every season, further explaining that it led to market saturation. Ends