12 Feb 2014

It is true that government tractors under Integrated Support Programme for Arable Agriculture Development (ISPAAD) should not travel more than 20 kilometers from their base, says the Assistant Minister of Agriculture, Mr Oreeditse Molebatsi.

Answering a question in Parliament on Tuesday, February 11, Mr Molebatsi said farmers outside the radius were encouraged to engage privately owned tractors at government cost. The government, he said, paid for the farmers to be assisted and if there was no rain within the specified area where tractors were based, they could be relocated to work in another area.

The assistant minister said government tractors under ISPAAD were not enough even to cover all farmers in agricultural service centres area where they were based. “It is therefore the government policy to engage private tractors to plough or plant for farmers even in those areas within the 20 kilometres radius,” he said.

Government tractors, he said, were meant for demonstration and training, hence private tractor owners were encouraged to take up the opportunity to plough or plant for farmers. The decision to limit government tractors to work within 20 kilometers radius was informed by the fact that, tractors are not meant for travelling long distances but rather to plough and plant, he said.

Parliament heard that any longer distance than the stipulated 20 kilometers radius may lead to damaging of tractor hydraulic system especially that they have to carry implements as well along bad field roads. Mr Molebatsi said it was therefore crucial that tractors are engaged in ploughing or planting than travelling to maximise area planted.

The minister was answering a question asked by the Member of Parliament for Tonota North, Mr Fidelis Molao who had asked him whether it was government policy that government tractors under ISPAAD do not travel more than 25 kilometres from their base.

MP Molao also asked the minister to explain how farmers beyond the 25 kilometres radius are assisted, and state what informed the decision and whether it was well considered.  ENDS