31 May 2021

 The Vice President, Mr Slumber Tsogwane, says Lobu Farm concept will be replicated to Impala Rural and Training Centre to cater for farmers in the north.

Speaking during a tour of Impala centre recently, Mr Tsogwane, who is also the chairperson of Rural Development Council, said government had taken a decision to replicate Lobu ranch concept to the rest of the country.

He also said government farms would be readied for allocation to small stock farmers to improve small stock production.

Impala currently trains farmers on cattle and smallstock farming, whilst Lobu breeds small stock and sell to farmers by auction as well as to export pelts or lamb skins.

Mr Tsogwane added that government would introduce a rural training centre at Lobu near Middlepits in the Kgalagadi District. He empathised the need for the country to develop its own researches for improvement of livestock industry.

Kgosi Sekgoma Moipolai of Matsiloje said Impala centre helped improve livestock. 

He commended government for investing in smallstock sector, the industry he said had good returns, adding that the sector was doing well in the North East District.

 MP for Tati East, Dr Douglas Letsholathebe welcomed the decision to replicate Lobu concept to Impala.

However, he said the problem with North East District was shortage of land for livestock sector, but was optimistic that smallstock production could do well in the area.

Dr Letsholathebe, who is also the Minister of Tertiary Education, Research Science and Technology, told said research was critical for development of livestock industry.

He said digitalisation technologies were crucial in the livestock industry for data processing, storage, transmission as it allowed information to intermingle and to be carried out with the same efficiency.

District agricultural coordinator, Mr Gwilidzani Maphosa said Impala could accommodate 32 trainees.

He explained that there were two classrooms for formal training each for a capacity of 10 participants and that before COVID-19, the centre could have conducted training for various farmer categories on weekly basis.

Regarding Impala’s 1 638 hectares, Mr Maphosa explained that 38 hectares were reserved for arable activities whilst the remaining 1 600 hectares were for livestock grazing. ENDS