Africa-Press – Botswana. Farmers are free to acquire non-security loans from the newly launched Temo Letlotlo programme.
This was revealed by the Minister of Agriculture, who is also Member of Parliament for Shashe West, Mr Fidelis Molao when addressing residents of Tonota on Thursday.
Mr Molao stated that farmers who earned more than P4 000 qualified to acquire loans under Temo Letlotlo with flexible payment plans, as they were able to pay even after selling their produce.
Mr Molao also indicated that commercial farming loans were insured and insurance could pay up to 85 per cent of the losses in case of any disasters, making farming a less risky industry.
He said the new Temo Letlotlo system separated farmers according to categories and capabilities, making it easier for them to identify the needs of each farmer.
He further added that farmers could buy implements and tools at discounted prices, which would help them empower themselves and also create employment for others.
Mr Molao said Temo Letlotlo also catered for cluster farming of more than 500 hectares for free.
He said such clusters got services such as fencing, water and electricity installations for free.
He said cluster farming could be an advantage when used properly by farmers as it could allow them to combine efforts and buy farm implements together.
Mr Molao further stated that ‘tlatsa difalana-tema ka kgetse’, which stipulates strategic grain reserve for future use, is the new strategy for making sure that the country saves for difficult times.
He said the saving would be done through monitoring by Botswana Agricultural Marketing Board (BAMB) as they have better preservation skills.
He also added that Temo Letlotlo had a reward system where farm produce were graded and farmers who produced the best quality were awarded vouchers to improve their farming.
Mr Molao admitted that the programme had experienced some hiccups, but assured farmers that government would fix errors and challenges as it progressed.
Earlier on when delivering welcome remarks, Kgosi Bokamoso Radipitse of Tonota said government programmes made the life of every Motswana easier as they helped them to achieve their dreams and eradicate poverty.
He urged them to participate in the newly launched Temo Letlotlo to improve their standard of living and also to empower each other.
Kgosi Radipitse said stakeholders were available to assist farmers in familiarising themselves with Temo Letlotlo.
For his part, Mr Simon Thabano said Temo Letlotlo was a good initiative though with a lot of errors and challenges that needed to be addressed.
He said most of the farmers had not yet been paid for their ploughing services and it inconvenienced them, as also needed to pay their workers.
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