24 Sep 2024

During the 2023/24 ploughing season, government introduced a new programme, Temo Letlotlo, which Batswana have applauded says North East District Council Chairperson, Mr Kudzani Tobokwani.

Addressing North East District Full Council, he said this was evidenced by the high uptake of the programme as about 4 560 farmers registered for Temo Letlotlo Crop Management System (CMS) during the 2023/24 season and were assisted with fencing and tractor packages. 

As preparations for the next ploughing 2024/2025 season are underway, 4 713 farmers were registered out of which 3 602 fall under micro and 981 under non-micro categories while 130 were unclassified. 

“Still in the same year, there was the Thuo Letlotlo programme that was introduced with the aim to commercialise the livestock sub-sector,” he said. 

Thuo Letlotlo is an inclusive programme targeting every Motswana wishing to venture into livestock farming. 

He said the programme has 30 various packages such as livestock, small stock, aquaculture, apiculture, game farming as well as Artificial Insemination and other programmes. 

On the other hand, he said 1 229 farmers in the District have already registered for BAITS 3 and as at September this year, 84 farmers had applied for the Thuo Letlotlo packages and he encouraged other citizens to apply for the betterment of their lives. 

He said another programme that the government introduced is the Masimo Game Farming in 2020 with the objective of providing aspiring citizens an opportunity to have wildlife as part of production in their land. 

The Masunga Wildlife Office has received 37 applications since the introduction of the programme of which 33 projects were approved and their permits being issued whilst 28 of the approved Masimo Game Farmers have received at least one species of the animals approved for their fields or farms. 

Mr Tobokwani said the programme is inundated with challenges of mortality due to the relocation of the animal into new territories. 

He said the Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) play a crucial role in the economic growth of the country as well as job creation hence the government saw it fit to introduce the Chema Chema Fund for existing and aspiring small entrepreneurs. 

He highlighted that business training was provided as a prerequisite for funding and 1 649 people have been trained on entrepreneurship skills in the district since the introduction of the programme. 

He pointed out that since inception, the Local Enterprise Authority (LEA) has registered 3 410 people who have shown interest in the Chema Chema programme while 2 807 have been successfully verified for Chema Chema funding and will be assessed by CEDA for approval. The programme has already funded 173 beneficiaries at the total value of over P1.7 million, which has resulted in the creation of 106 jobs. 

On a negative note, he reported that around 2022 the district witnessed the outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease in Zone 6b, which resulted in the depopulation of cattle in the entire zone.

“This posed a huge set back in terms of livestock farming in the area,” he said. 

Nevertheless, he said the government started a restocking exercise this year to compensate farmers with a proportion of their cattle while the other compensation was in monetary terms.

 He thanked the Government and the community for working together to combat the spread of the FMD and urged councillors to inspire everyone who received cattle to take care of them and not let them wonder around the borderline. 

Mr Tobokwani said there were reported mortalities of cattle due to heart water disease where a total of 72 cattle were reported to have died due to the disease. 

The reported cases of mortalities were in previously  heart water disease free areas. 

He stated that the Department of Veterinary Services acted swiftly to effect some intervention measures with the support of the district leadership and that there are currently no new cases. Ends