08 Jul 2024

Government will pay 85 per cent of the seasonal loans for rainfed arable farmers who received loans from Citizen Enterprise Development Agency (CEDA) and National Development Bank (NDB) through Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme facility (ACGS) as a drought relief measure.

Boteti East MP, Mr Sethomo Lelatisitswe told residents of Mmatshumo on July 4 that the drought relief mitigation measures would be implemented with effect from July 1.

He noted that President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi had declared 2023/24 season an extreme agricultural drought year.

He said the declaration followed the recently concluded drought and household food security vulnerability assessment and analysis exercise.

He stated that the Ministry of Agriculture would provide 30 percent livestock feed subsidy for roughage, concentrates, mineral supplements, botulism vaccine and vitamin supplements with effect from July 1 to January 31, 2025.

He disclosed that subsidies would also be provided for non-traditional commodities such as dairy, piggery, aquaculture, apiculture and poultry at 30 per cent for smallholder farmers, also effective from July 1 to January 31, 2025.

Mr Lelatisitswe stated that the ministry would also provide subsidies for acaricides and anti-biotics at 50 per cent for the control and treatment of animals and would also equip boreholes and reticulate water for livestock in unused government or community boreholes in communal areas that have serious water shortage with priority given to hotspot areas effective July 1 to January 31, 2025.

He indicated that the Ministry of Entrepreneurship would source grains through Botswana Agricultural Marketing Board to restock the strategic grain reserve to cover cereal deficit and continue to monitor the situation.

He pointed out that satellite stores would be set up through BAMB to improve access to drought relief feeds, drugs and vaccines in far to reach areas with effect from July 1 to January 31, 2025.

He further stated that the Ministry of Environment and Tourism would provide feed subsidies for farmers keeping wild animals in small game farms at 30 per cent effective from July 1 to January 31, 2025.

The ministry would review the compensation schedule and market rates to include all wild animals that caused damages to all crops, livestock and property, he said.

He explained that the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development would continue with blanket coverage of supplementary feeding for children aged six to 59 months with double ration to moderately and severely underweight children.

Mr Lelatisitswe stated that provision of two meals at primary schools would continue and three meals for recognised settlements at Remote Area Communities adding that Ipelegeng slots would increase by an additional 30 000 slots to cater for high number of beneficiaries on the waiting lists as a result of limited seasonal jobs in the arable agricultural sector. Ends