26 Jun 2021

The proposed revisions to the commercial and subsistence farming compensation rates by the Minister of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism are currently under consideration by Cabinet.

The Minister of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism, Ms Philda Kereng, said this in response to a question at Ntlo Ya Dikgosi meeting on Thursday.

She said her ministry, through the Department of Wildlife and National Parks, had proposed revisions to the commercial and subsistence farming compensation rates.

She said the new compensation rates would also further reduce the burden that some wildlife species imposed on farmers.

Ms Kereng explained that the compensation rates for commercial farming were higher than that of subsistence farming due to different inputs employed on the farming methods, which have a bearing on the field per hectare.

Ms Kereng said for instance, based on the expected outputs as per publications from the Ministry of Agricultural Production and Food Security, such as for ISPAAD programme, the expected output for commercial farmers was about 2.5–3 ton/ha, compared to 1 ton/ha in the case of subsistence farming.

She said that was the basis which made the difference in compensation rates between commercial and subsistence farmers.

Kgosi Rebecca Banika of Chobe region had wanted to know reasons compensation for commercial and subsistence farmers differ yet they both use the same methods and mechanisms. ends