Brace for the summer of our discontent

The last season was another poor one, producing a 78% deficit
The last season was another poor one, producing a 78% deficit

While the 2017/18 cropping season produced a 78% cereal deficit, things are about to get a lot worse for local farmers and the communities dependent on agriculture. A nasty rainfall season has been forecast and experts expect even more people to be reliant on government for help. Mmegi Correspondent GOITSEMODIMO KAELO reports

Recently, government announced it would spend nearly P900 million on various drought relief interventions, assessments of the 2017/18 yields necessitated the declaration of a drought year.

The funds will include support for rural households whose incomes were decimated by a poor season, the hopeful rainfall forecasts that were made giving way to a prolonged dry spell that devastated all hopes. Specifically government will pay 30% of the seasonal loans to farmers who got loans from CEDA and the National Development Bank, to mitigate losses, while also providing support to vulnerable households, orphans and primary school children.

Editor's Comment
Routine child vaccination imperative

The recent Vaccination Day in Motokwe, orchestrated through collaborative efforts between UNICEF, USAID, BRCS, and the Ministry of Health, underscores a commendable stride towards fortifying child health services.The painful reality as reflected by the Ministry of Health's data regarding the decline in routine immunisation coverage since the onset of the pandemic, is a cause for concern.It underscores the urgent need to address the...

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