10 Mar 2024

Farmers have been urged to embrace smart agriculture to increase livestock productivity.

Vice President, Mr Slumber Tsogwane said encouraged farmers during a livestock management and industries exposition in Rakops on Saturday.

He said, the agricultural sector contributed to the socio-economic development of the rural community because it was a source of food, income, employment creation and upliftment of livelihoods.

The sector’s growth, he said, was however, threatened by diseases, fire outbreaks, poor management practices and frequent droughts due to climate change.

Mr Tsogwane, who is also and Member of Parliament for Boteti West,  stated that the most worrisome was drought, saying farmers must learn to plan around it instead of using it as an excuse to explain the decline in the productivity of the livestock sector.

“We need to embrace smart agriculture to increase livestock productivity,” he said.

He said following declaration of 2022/2023 a drought year, government put in place relief and special assistance measures that were implemented in July 26, 2023 to January 31, 2024 and later extended to June 30.

In respect of livestock feed, he stated that government had provided 30 per cent subsidy on veterinary requisites sold through registered feed retailer outlets countrywide.

He said the revised artificial insemination (AI) programme emphasised on the adoption of technology that included pregnancy detection technologies and the use of oestrus synchronisation for timed insemination.

Mr Tsogwane noted that over P93 million had been approved for the upgrading of the Ramatlabama national AI laboratory and training centre.

Boteti West, he said, made use of two artificial insemination centres in Makalamabedi and Makoba with capacity of 600 cattle.

The number of attendees, he said, was an assurance that the exposition was a breeding ground for even greater opportunities for the industry.

For her part, deputy permanent secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Ms Boitumelo Mogome said government had prioritised the beef industry to diversify sources of economic growth.

She said the industry was characterised by low productivity hence the theme: Improving Livelihoods Through Improved Cattle Management Practices.

Ms Mogome stated that the livestock industry, especially beef and smallstock, were characterised by low productivity with birth rates below 60 per cent for all species and mortalities over 10 per cent.

She said identified causes of the poor trends were inadequate skills, inadequate extension support, reproductive diseases and poor nutrition.

She said the ministry improved artificial insemination services to a more advanced technology which included embryos production and transfer.

Chairperson of Boteti West Farmers’ Association, Mr Solomon Engliton said the exposition would empower them with skills to develop and increase their stock. ENDS