24 Nov 2025

Serowe District anticipates a good harvest for the 2025/26 ploughing season given the early rains favourable for ploughing and based on the outlook of rains from Meteorological Services rainfall forecast.

In an interview recently, Mr Samson Motlhala, Agronomist for Serowe District  said that the district was expecting a good harvest for the 2025/26 ploughing season, of which the predicted rainfall was normal to above normal.

He said the district contributed significantly to the national food production thus contributing an average of above 1000 tons of production to the national production annually.

Furthermore, he said in 2023/24 ploughing season the district contributed 933 tons by 1 113 farmers who had tilled their ploughing fields as compared to 2024/25 ploughing season in which 1 162 tons by 1 601 farmers that had tilled their arable land, contributed to the national food production.

This, he said showed that there was an increase in both production and number of farmers who tilled their arable land and therefore was of the view that the district was on the right track to attain food security and self-sufficiency.

Mr Motlhala reiterated that considering the good rains there was hope that there would be a good harvest. However, he said tractor owners were pondering increasing ploughing prices per hectare, which might lead to a low turnout of farmers into ploughing because of high ploughing prices In an effort to heighten the country’s food security and self-sufficiency, the Ministry of Lands and Agriculture has embarked on a move to transition Temo Letlotlo to Lemang Dijo. Meanwhile Acting Agricultural District Coordinator for Serowe Mr Kenneth Mabote told BOPA in an interview recently that Temo Letlotlo has opened applications for Lemang Dijo programme to boost food security and self-sufficiency in the country.

He said subsistence farmers would  be assisted during the transitional period from Temo Letlotlo  with seeds for a measure not exceeding one hectare for each farmer as compared to the previous two hectare of Temo Letlotlo, given that the new programme’s focus was to boost production per hectare than just cultivating a huge chunk of land.

Furthermore, he said subsistence farmers would also be assisted through Lemang Dijo programme’s transitional phase for ploughing.

Farmers would also be assisted with bee colonies in their ploughing fields for cross pollination purposes to boost food security.Scientifically it has been proven that bee colonies have a significant positive effect by providing a crucial pollination services that are essential for crop production and by so doing increasing yields per hectare.

In addition, Mr Mabote said currently the Agricultural Policy of 1991 was under review, thereafter the findings would guide which direction to take to improve crop production. 

Mr Mabote said Lemang Dijo programme would be rolled out to different parts of the country the farming community would be consulted through kgotla meetings. ENDS