20 Mar 2022

The Department of Agricultural Research, Statistics and Policy Development has, effective April last year, transferred all its district staff to headquarters after critical considerations and engagement with the affected officers.

Assistant Minister of Agricultural Development and Food Security, Mr Molebatsi Molebatsi confirmed this when answering a question in Parliament recently.

Mr Molebatsi said as much as there was a decentralisation  policy, some officers were required to work at headquarters, owing to the technicality of their work.

On the department moving to headquarters, Mr Molebatsi said such was meant to improve working conditions, accountability and ultimately the overall efficiency of data collection process by the department.

He said it was also meant to improve coverage and presence of the department given that only six officers were placed in districts.

He said the department continued to execute its mandate of collecting data on livestock and crop products as well as monitoring and evaluating the agricultural sector, hence the officers’ work had not been affected.

Regarding office space, Mr Molebatsi confirmed that adequate space was secured for all transferred officers from the ministry’s two main buildings.

The department, he said, also provided three caravans, which were fully air-conditioned with necessary amenities to ensure that officers were not crowded to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Palapye MP, Mr Onneetse Ramogapi had asked the minister if he was aware that all the department’s district staff had been transferred to headquarters, something he argued was against government’s decentralisation policy.

Mr Ramogapi also wanted to know how the department would execute its mandate of collecting data on livestock and crop products as well as monitor and evaluate the agricultural sector at district level, especially in the greater Palapye area. ENDS