17 Jun 2025

Government will assist all applicants approved for the LIMID programme prior to its suspension early last year.

The announcement was made during a kgotla meeting convened by Kanye East Legislator, Mr Prince Mosanana in the Dipotsana and Diabo wards recently.

Therefore, all successful applicants who received confirmation letters were urged to visit their respective programme officers, especially those eager to sell their goats to the LIMID programme.

Providing context, District Animal Production officer, Mr Geoffrey Balogi explained that the LIMID programme was phased out in April 2024 when a new programme called Thuo Letlotlo was launched. He noted that at the time of the transition, numerous farmers had successfully applied for assistance to acquire goats and were assured that they would be supported.

Mr Balogi further clarified that those who applied but were unsuccessful would not receive any assistance under the LIMID programme and were encouraged to apply for the Thuo Letlotlo programme instead. A lapse in programme funding necessitated a temporary halt to the assistance process while finances were sourced to support eligible beneficiaries, Mr Balogi said.

In the Kanye District alone, over 1 000 applicants were approved under the LIMID programme, and recent financial availability has allowed for the continuation of goat distribution to these eligible farmers. Distributions have taken place in Lotlhakane, with upcoming plans for similar actions in the Molapowabojang area.

Mr Balogi confirmed that each successful recipient would receive goats each valued at P1 000 for females and P2 000 for males. Applicants who have lost their approval letters were encouraged to contact the office for a copy of their application write-ups.

Mr Balogi explained that goat purchases were conducted through public announcements, where selling farmers would gather at the local kgotla to facilitate sales, observed by police officers. However, challenges have arisen regarding payments to sellers due to reliance on electronic fund transfers, which many were without.

The situation has led to delays in payments, pushing the turnaround time for fund disbursement to as long as a month. Mr Balogi urged commercial farmers to maintain active bank accounts and keep their records updated to prevent unnecessary payment delays.

Additionally, he noted that the cost of production often exceeded the selling price within the LIMID programme, prompting many farmers to opt for selling their livestock outside of this initiative.

While government seeks to address the needs of approved LIMID beneficiaries, challenges related to funding, payment systems, and production costs remain significant hurdles for the initiative’s success. ENDS