13 Nov 2013

 There were no ranches allocated in the Okavango constituency out of the 738 that were allocated under the National Policy on Agriculture Development, Parliament has been informed.

The Assistant Minister of Agriculture, Mr Oreeditse Molebatsi explained in response to a Parliamentary question, that a study conducted around the Tovera area in the constituency indicated that the area was not suitable for allocation of ranches.

“Ranches are demarcated and subsequently allocated where it is feasible. A feasibility study conducted by an Inter-ministerial technical committee comprising ministries of Lands and Housing, ministry of Agriculture, Land Boards, Remote Areas Dwellers Programme, and ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism in the Okavango Constituency around Tovera area revealed that the area is not suitable for fencing given conflicting land uses and the limited availability of ranching land in the area,” said the assistant minister.

He added that there were no commercial ranches that had been allocated in the Okavango constituency for the same reasons. Mr Molebatsi was responding to a question from Mr Bagalatia Arone, the Okavango MP, who had wanted to know the number of ranches allocated in the Okavango Constituency under the National Policy on Agricultural Development.  Ends