The Acting Minister of Agriculture (MoA) Patrick Ralotsia has said the successful calving of 35 out of the 97 pregnant dairy cows during March 2015 shows coordinated support from the Department of Animal ProductionArtificial Insemination (AI) unit of the NAMPAAD dairy farm leased to a private investor. According to Ralotsia, the provision of 136 straws of sexed semen from Artificial Insemination Services is a boost to dairy development as most of the calves will be female.
He explained that: “Regarding the transition of the bolus to ear tags, livestock identification formats, MoA is making good progress. To date cumulatively 1, 720, 455 cattle have been linked out of the targeted 2, 242, 000 representing coverage of 76.7%. So far, all the districts have finished the bolus-ear-tag transition except Serowe and Ghanzi, which we are targeting to have finished by March 31, 2015.”
The mandate of the Department of Animal Production is to provide quality service to livestock farmers including dairy farmers and other stakeholders through effective extension service.
The Department’s core functions include training farmers on good management practices, transfer of technologies, marketing strategies and livestock production systems and resource poor persons to venture into rabbits, guinea fowls, Setswana chickens, pigs, dairy, beef and smallstock.
It also encourage citizens to start projects on ostriches and equines; facilitating and implementing livestock support schemes to increase production and reduce poverty among the poor, youth and HIV/AIDS affected persons, encouraging establishment of commodity associations.
