10 Jun 2021

Ngami Member of Parliament, Mr Caterpillar Hikuama says there is need for establishment of a cattle quarantine camp in Nokaneng that will service parts of Ngamiland.

Currently, there is only one quarantine camp in Makalamabedi where farmers from all corners of Ngamiland keep their cattle before selling to BMC.

This situation, Mr Hikuama said was cumbersome for some farmers who travelled long distances from far places such as Shakawe, Gumare and Nokaneng among others to access a quarantine camp in Makalamabedi.

The MP was speaking during a Kgotla meeting in Nokaneng recently, where he said part of the artificial insemination centre in Nokaneng could be revived and turned into a quarantine camp.

On a related matter, Mr Hikuama also highlighted that low prices for cattle purchase in Ngamiland was worrisome. 

He however noted that in the near future the Meat Regulator Policy might be passed by Parliament, which would result in farmers getting better cattle price.

Mr Hikuama therefore encouraged cattle owners to support and empower their farmers’ associations by working together and collectively advocate for better cattle price in Ngamiland.

One of the speakers at the meeting, Mr Papadi Bataki concurred with the MP on the issue of cattle quarantine camp establishment in Nokaneng.

He also suggested that animals be weighed before being transported to Makalamabedi and that the initial weight be the one used to determine the price instead of  using the weight of a beast after  spending days in quarantine.

On a different matter, Mr Bataki said unlike other sectors such as the mining industry, where companies gave back to the communities they operated within, the tourism industry in Ngamiland was not doing enough through its corporate social responsibility.

He said Ngamiland was a tourism area, hence the residents should benefit from the tourism sector through CSR. “Animals found in this area should not just be known for destroying people’s field crops, rather for something beneficial to the community,” he said.

Another speaker, Mr Justice Ngaruka, said Nokaneng residents relied much on arable farming and keeping livestock, hence suggested that the constituency projects fund be channeled to drilling of boreholes since there was shortage of livestock watering points in the area. BOPA