Bobirwa braces for severe drought

ONALENNA KELEBEILE
Staff Writer | Monday March 25, 2013 00:00

BOBONONG: The Zone 7 area especially Bobirwa is being strangled by a drought that is anticipated to worsen this year owing to lack of rainfall, lack of grazing land and water.This has left many farmers empty handed as they lost uncountable number of their cattle to drought necessitated by lack of market since the area is still yet to be declared a green zone after the 2006 Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak.

This means that the only hope for market is local butcheries but the fact that supply exceeds demand subjects farmers to exploitation as they are forced to sell at giveaway prices because of lack of alternative market. While many of the farmers have lost all their cattle, those who could afford to buy supplementary feed have a few remaining and this has drastically reduced the cattle population in the area.  The situation has reduced Babirwa, whose economic mainstay is cattle farming, to destitution. Livestock Officer in Bobonong Motswakae Gondo said when approached that Selebi-Phikwe region has not recovered from drought in the last 10 years with Bobirwa area worst hit.

He added that Bobirwa cattle population exceeds carrying capacity because as compared to other areas there are a lot of cattle posts in Bobirwa. 'Also note that Zone 7 is within Mashatu Zone 17 Wildlife Management Area which reduces the size of the veterinary zone's grazing land,' he added.

Gondo also explained that since 2006 FMD outbreak there had been no market except local butcheries whose off-take is low while the birthrate is high. 'These are the main causes of drought in the area. Basically the future is bleak and the drought situation is worsening.

'Farmers should brace for the severe drought necessitated by insufficient rainfalls,' he warned. He added that they will be able to know the exact number of cattle lost to drought during vaccination that is expected to start soon.  The new cattle census will be available after vaccination but last year there were 65,000 cattle in Bobirwa, excluding Selebi-Phikwe.

He observed that the drought situation is bad this year as compared to last year. 'I encourage farmers to sell their cattle that are ready for the market more so that South Africa and Zimbabwe are buying Botswana cattle.'Lack of market was also a factor contributing to drought. Government also sells livestock feed at subsidised prices and most of the feeds were dispatched to this area as a relief measure because it is the hardest hit together with Ngamiland,' he added.

He explained that they have not had new cases of FMD since last year and said the outbreak meant that cattle are not sold and as a result there was no cattle population control and consequently, grazing land was also affected.  'We are trying our best to eradicate the disease until the zone is declared a green zone,' he said.

One farmer Keitseng Morake said the drought has affected them so much because rainfall was insufficient and did not cover the whole area. This year the drought is more severe than last year and said the remaining cattle have already lost weight because there is no grass to feed on. 'Many farmers cannot even afford to buy supplementary feeds because they have not sold cattle to make money. Even today our area is not yet declared a green zone to access Botswana Meat Commission,' he added.

He explained that farmers have now resorted to a nomadic lifestyle, regularly relocating their cattle posts to areas that are not seriously affected creating serious conflicts among them and overpopulating the area. He noted that an area with cattle carrying capacity of only 300 herds end up with over 3,000 cattle.  'In this scenario FMD control and management of grazing land are seriously compromised and it is very costly to farmers,' he added.

Morake further said local butchery prices are very low as butchery owners take advantage of hopeless farmers. 'Ba leba fela ka matlho and negotiate a price offer. It is take it or leave it. We cannot even raise enough money to buy diesel (a diesel drum costs P2,000) for boreholes to water the remaining cattle,' he added.  He appealed to government to lift the ban on Zone 7 so that they can be able to sell to BMC and said that government should declare a drought in Bobirwa and consider subsidizing cattle prices for farmers in the affected area.

'We also seek negotiations with government and cattle buyers so that there is a standard price for cattle to curb exploitation of farmers. 'All in all, there is a serious drought dilemma here and the remaining cattle will be wiped out this year,' he predicted. Another cattle farmer who has since relocated back to the village because there is nothing left at the cattle post, Leta Makubate fights back tears as she reminisces on the situation.

' I am now ill because of the stress I suffered as a result of the loss. I lost all the cattle I had, it was so bad that we just had to skin the dead cattle to feed dogs,' he said. The 65-year-old Makubate added that the most painful thing is that she has outgrown the working age to ever think of buying cattle afresh when the area recovers.  Now she has been reduced to a destitute because there is nothing she can do. 'I am just awaiting death as you can see,' she added.

Makubate said had it not been for ignorance, they (farmers) could have sold some of their cattle while they were fit for the market but FMD broke out closing the area out of the market. 'I do not even know the kind of help I can ask for from government, they will see what to do with us. I acknowledge that will be adding to her burden. The situation is pathetic,' she added.

Makubate's younger sister's family also suffered the same fate as they lost all their Brahman bulls that they could have sold at lucrative prices.   'We were even ready to sell at any price offer rather than watching our cattle go down the drain,' said Makubate.