12 Dec 2023

More than 900 farmers have registered for the Temo Letlotlo programme in the Okavango District so far, the Okavango District Council (ODC) Chairman, Mr Gaopalelwe Ronald, has said.

Mr Ronald was speaking when officially opening the ODC full council in Gumare on Monday.

He said the programme had been successfully launched and registration of farmers was ongoing on the Crop Management System (CMS) which was meant to maximize benefits for registered farmers.

He said there was a delay in the registration process at some point due to system interruption.

Temo Letlotlo is the Botswana government’s flagship productivity-output-led and reward-based agroecological programme whose main aim was to improve food security at the household and national levels and get farmers into a commercial operations.

On other matters, Mr Ronald told the full council that Bont Tick dipping and treatment of Dermatophylosis (Senkobo) was ongoing. He said a total of 10 890 cattle were dipped against 11219 expected this quarter while 3700 goats and sheep have been dipped.

Mr Ronald said that a total of 2926 cattle and 54 small stock belonging to 448 and 25 farmers respectively were treated for demartophylosis.

He said some cattle needed further treatment to fully recover from the disease while the disease's clinical severity has greatly reduced in some.

He said farmers were advised to take advantage of the 50 per cent government drought relief subsidy to help them with reduced livestock treatment costs.

He said that the district continued to experience problematic animals, especially elephants which destroyed crops and water facilities.

He said that 146 cases of problem animals were recorded in the district in the current quarter.Mr Ronald said the Department of Wildlife and National Parks has managed to compensate 184 cases, which amounted to P361 373.15 this quarter. ends