06 Dec 2023

The Ministry of Agriculture is aware of the challenges faced by Batswana in the Tati West along the border due to elephants destroying ploughing fields.

Answering a question in Parliament, the Assistant Minister Mr Molebatsi Molebatsi said in light of the situation, farmers were encouraged to group themselves so that they benefit from electric fencing under the Temo Letlotlo programme to protect their fields from being destroyed by elephants.

He cited the Moroka cluster with a total of 350ha for 42 farmers which has completed solar electrification at a cost of P489 725 through the Wild Life Trust Fund.

He said this had as a result minimised crops damaged by wildlife.

Mr Molebatsi also noted that farmers were encouraged to plough early maturing crops so that harvesting could be done earlier to avoid coinciding with the period when wild animals are in search of water.

Furthermore, the Assistant Minister said the measures were more effective for farmers within the clusters while less effective to those farmers outside the cluster areas.

He said the electric fence had proved better, comparing the 2021/2022 ploughing season when there was no fence as wild animals damaged 6.52ha while in the 2022/2023 ploughing season only 3ha was damaged when there was an electric fence within the affected area.

Tati West MP Mr Simon Moabi had asked the  minister about measures in place to protect Batswana farmers in the Tati West along the border from the destruction of their ploughing fields by elephants.

He also wanted to know the effectiveness of these measures and how they had been used in mitigating the damage caused by elephants. Ends