PM VISITS MPHOTO AGRIC IN MAZENOD

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The Prime Minister, Dr Moeketsi Majoro says agriculture needs dedication, commitment and devotion for one to succeed.

In his statement after touring vegetable production at Thota-Moli, Ha Mphoto in Mazenod in which three Basotho farmers (two men and a woman) have established a project named ‘Mphoto Agric’ to produce vegetables like cabbages, carrots, spinach and beetroot, Dr Majoro said the agriculture industry is not an easy sector.

”It needs dedicated, committed and hardworking people who are ready to wake up in the middle of the night and go to work or at least go to look after the fields,” he commented.

He said farming does not need routine work like clocking at 8:00 am and knocking off at 5:00 pm but needs people who work on the fields like their lives depended on it.

The Prime Minister said when it snows, a real farmer will go to the field to see if vegetables or crops have not been affected by the snow similarly if there have been floods.

He said Basotho need to change their mindset and consider other sectors in farming besides crop farming, mentioning vegetable and fruits production, as well as stock farming hence, commended the Thota-Moli Agric projects, saying these producers have heeded the call by this government that diversification of farming is vital n order to boost self-reliance in the country.

Dr Majoro said Lesotho as a country was founded on self-reliance, quoting the Basotho saying ‘Mphe mphe ea lapisa molekane motho o khonoa ke sa ntlo ea hae” meaning one should not look up to donations from elsewhere but fend for oneself.

He instructed Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Mr. Likopo Mahase to attend to the challenges of the trio which include shortage of seeds, lack of warehouse for produce storage as well as lack of market to sell the produce and access to finance.

On the other hand he said the present coalition government will be marking its first year anniversary, saying one of its targets was relying on agriculture in order to promote food security, after learning the hard way during the recent lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking about the COVID 19 scare, he urged Basotho to still observe World Health Organisation (WHO) safety protocols thus; wearing of face masks, keeping social distance and regular hands wash using soap and running water.

The Prime Minister noted that new COVID-19 infections have been reported recently in the country after no infections were reported for a while, saying while the government does not want to impose lockdowns again since they negatively affect economy, he urged Basotho to take it upon themselves to curb the spread of the virus.

Speaking at the same occasion Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Mr. Mahase said there is a master plan in which the ministry intends to construct dams that will make irrigation schemes easy even during dry seasons.

He said parts of Koro-Koro areas will be used as pilot projects for irrigation projects once the project has kicked off.

On the other hand, he appealed to farmers to always test their fields for checking alkalinity or soil acidity which he said would help determine the type of fertilizer as well as the amount required on such soil to enable it to be productive.

Mr. Mahase in turn instructed his extension officers to work with the Mphoto Agri owners to address their challenges, saying they could be of assistance when it comes to finding a reliable market and pricing of the products to avoid unnecessary loss.

Speaking on behalf of the Mphoto Agric, Mr. Khotso Mabolloane said the project was established in 2019, noting the acquisition of rented fields from nine Mphoto owners, saying this is one of their achievements as they have agreed to give them M5000 each after every harvest season.

Again, the project has created jobs for seven people from the same village, adding that this number has increased from two and that during the harvest time, it increases to around 20 people working on the project.

However, he stated that their challenges include shortage of water for irrigation in a dry season like in September as well as lack of storage for keeping their produce, inadequate seeds as well as a place which they said was not easily accessible by road which forces them to incur transport costs.

He said their target was to produce one million heads of cabbage, saying they are looking at taking their produce in the local supermarkets such as Shoprite, Fruits and Vegetables and others.

Mr. Mabolloane also highlighted the need for access to finance, saying currently they are relying on themselves for supporting the project.

Also present at the occasion included the Maseru District Administrator, Mohlakeng Community Councilor, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security Extension Officers and the villagers.

The Mphoto Agric produces a variety of vegetables on 13.3 hectares at Ha Mphoto, Thota-Moli in the Mazenod areas.

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