19 May 2025

The Ministry of Lands and Agriculture on Thursday celebrated Fodder Day in Nkowe lands in Malolwane extension area in Kgatleng East.

The event was meant to promote fodder farming with the aim to increase fodder production and its value chains.

The host of the event, Mr Teekay Kaelo, a smallstock farmer and fodder producer, who volunteered to issue his farm as a demonstration spot, gave a testimony that feeding animals with fodder improved quality of livestock making them to be drought resistant, high in reproduction, resistant to diseases, production of quality colostrum hence high multiplication of offspring.

With his garden size compound of fodder, where he had grown four varieties of fodder grass such as vetivar, bracarhia, napia, he said he was able to produce between 100-120 lambs and kids annually adding that the all reach market without any mortality.

Mr Kaelo described bracarhia grass as the best for high quality milk production on goats and cows adding that it had high crude protein compared to other grasses.

He said he reared quality breeds of goats and sheep adding that in total he had already sold about 40 since the beginning of the year.

Mr Kaelo confirmed that fodder production did not require a vast piece of land thus he started fodder production with four splits of bracarhia grass, which had now been multiplied to about 400 grasses within a small portion of the garden.

For his part, Kgatleng Chief Scientific Officer,  Mr Baagi Chilume said Botswana agricultural statistics indicated that local produce of fodder stood at 12 per cent to feed animals a statistic that he declared a meagre produce.

He said time was now that farmers should ensure sufficient food security for their livestock leaving no gap for drought to affect the animals anymore.

Mr Chilume also said government had long encouraged farmers to produce livestock feed through schemes such as LIMID, hich was substituted by Thuo Letlotlo, which he said was currently under review.

He said through Thuo Letlotlo, some farmers had been funded to produce fodder production and to buy fodder-processing machines hence the expectation was that a reviewed version of the scheme would continue to do the same.

Kgatleng District Agricultural coordinator, Ms Kgotso Madisa said farming was a mode of teamwork and networking hence advised farmers to form farmers’ committees, which would then affiliate with other districts.

In that way, she said it would be easy for the Ministry of Lands and Agriculture to deploy relevant experts to do demonstrations and assist farmers to help perfect their needs as a cluster.

“If you have such committees your existence will be conspicuous as a cluster hence creating an easier path for those who were able to be magnetised to us,” she said. 

“Having committees will also enable designing of a calendar of events that will be informative about the next move within the area,” she added. 

She further said agricultural shows were rarely conducted in Kgatleng not because there was nothing to show up but due to farmers’ lack of interest to take their exhibits to the show grounds.

“Agricultural fairs help farmers to benchmark on other farmers’ ideas and opens doors for new opportunities,” said Ms Madisa.

Ms Madisa also reminded farmers about the Kgatleng Agricultural Show, set to be held from July16 to 19, thus she advised that registration was ongoing for those who want to display and sell their products.

Dr Samuel Tjetjo, under Animal Production unit in Kgatleng, substantiated Ms Madisa on the perception that since most of the farmers depended on communal grazing it was advisable for farmers to join arms so as to come up with a mass production of fodder as a substitute for natural fodder during the times of drought.

Dr Tjetjo said cluster farming would enable to sell the excess produce to other markets. ENDS