Maun farmers ask govt to cancel P105m loan

BONIFACE KEAKABETSE
Correspondent | Thursday January 10, 2013 00:00

 

The farmers made the call during a meeting addressed by the Ngamiland Farmers Association (NFA) on Tuesday at the Batawana Kgotla.

The farmers said they cannot pay back their loans because Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) has made selling cattle impossible over the years.  They cried that this year's drought which has left more than 15 000 cattle dead in the district, has exacerbated the situation.

The NDB FMD Fund was introduced by government to assist farmers with loans after the 2008 FMD outbreak in Ngamiland. Under the scheme, farmers pledged one beast to NDB for P1 500 in loans. Farmers pledged the heads of cattle to NDB, which administered the fund on behalf of the government.

As a result, farmers owe NDB a total of P105 million. Although official figures show that thousands of cattle have died from drought in Ngamiland, the actual number could be higher as figures in other areas have not been recorded.

A total of 10,871 cattle mortalities were recorded, with Sehitwa extension area being the hardest hit.  The district has also suffered 2,877 deaths of goats, 1 115 sheep, 476 horses and 536 donkeys. Speaking during the meeting, Keapoletswe Keapoletswe said the drought claimed more than 500 of his cattle.

He asked that government clears only the loans of poor farmers who have no other means of paying back other than selling their cattle. The drought has hit mostly the communal small farmers who struggle to buy cattle feed and supply their livestock with drinking water. The farmers said chances of them paying back the loans now seem slim.

The once-thriving beef industry in the district has also been severely hampered by over-supply of cattle during the cattle selling restrictions. This has led to cattle overpopulation and overgrazing amongst the communal farmers who hold the majority of cattle in the district. The local and regional markets  of Zimbabwe and Angola, which were promised by government to remedy the situation, have so far not fully taken off.

Meanwhile, Ngamiland natives resident in Gaborone have formed a committee  to help government control FMD.The coordinator of the committee, Tymon Katholo told the meeting in Maun that they are undertaking a study to determine factors that led to the resilience of the disease in the area.

He said the study will focus on disease control failures, policies on cattle farming in the district and investigate why quarantines and other infrastructure like the condition of cordon fences lead to the spread of diseases  as well as cattle marketing issues in the district.