Livestock Advisory Centers around the country have stocked up on ivestock feeds which are sold at reduced prices to farmers to cushion them from the effects of the current drought in the country.
“We have stock feeds of different types that our centres around the country are selling to farmers at subsidised prices to cushion them from effects of the drought,” said Morerei Moesi, the ministry of agriculture’s public relations officer.
He said the stock feeds currently available in all their centers are drought pellets, dicalcium phosphate, bran and salt. All are sold at 25 percent of the original price following declaration of a drought year by the government.
To make sure that the stock is available to farmers at all times, a revolving allowing for continuous procurement of stock feed was set up early this year, he said.
The effects of drought are worse in the North West and Bobirwa, Moesi added. Farmers in the North West recently resolved that they would seek audience with President Ian Khama and brief him about the effects of drought in the district. So far, it is claimed that the drought has caused the death of thousands of cattle.
More worrying for farmers in the district is that some of them had borrowed money from the government and from the Foot and Mouth Relief Fund, using their cattle as surety. Now they have no means of paying back the money as their cattle have died.
They therefore plan to ask Khama to cancel the debts owed to both the government and to parastatal banks such as CEDA and NDB.
