10 Nov 2013

The Minister of Agriculture, Mr Christiaan De Graaff has said his ministry can no longer postpone requirement of row planting for farmers using Integrated Support Programme for Arable Agriculture Development (ISPAAD). 

Answering a question in Parliament, the minister said they had been advising farmers to use row planting since the inception of ISPAAD in 2008 and at the time farmers were of the view they were being rushed and repeated this reason over the next four years.  “I am afraid that if we are to wait until the farmers view changes we will remain where we are forever,” he said. 

The minister said row planting had been adopted worldwide to improve arable production, adding that with row planting it was easy to control pests, easy to weed, easy to apply fertilizers and it is economic on inputs use.  The agriculture minister further said light absorption was maximized with row planting and wind passage is also enhanced resulting in improved performance of the crops. 

He said row planting could be done through the use of a tractor or animal drawn implements and even a hand hoe.  Another reason, he said is high yields were realised when row planting even in small holder farms. 

Minister De Graaff said farmers can record up to two tonnes per hectare compared to 500kg/ha which is the norm with broadcasting farmers.  He said while the total hecterages ploughed and planted have increased and total production has increased over the years, production per hectare has not improved. 

The minister said there are 2642 tractors and 1080 planters in the country, while Shoshong Constituency has 36 tractors and 14 planters. He said given the inadequate equipment, farmers and tractor owners can collaborate and do reasonable hecterages with the equipment. 

Shoshong MP Phillip Makgalemele had asked if the minister is aware that despite numerous assurances by the minister and his team on the justification for row planting under ISPAAD, farmers strongly view that the process is rushed and unjustifiable. 

He also asked the minister to state the number of registered tractors at the national level and in the Shoshong constituency against associated implements such as planters and how he intends to cater for the shortfall during the 2013/14 ploughing season.Ends