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GOVERNMENT AND FARMERS BECOME PARTNERS IN FARMING | |
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The Minister of Sports, Gender and Youth Affairs and also a member of Parliament for Likhoele constituency Mrs. 'Mathabiso Lepono has encouraged the public to take the opportunity to get into partnership with the government to plough for summer cropping. When addressing the public at a public gathering that was held at Likhoele in Mafeteng on Monday 26 August,2002 Mrs. Lepono said the government will assist farmers with fertilizers and seeds adding that farmers are expected to pay half of the expenses. She said farmers should ensure that they get into this partnership in order to fight hunger and poverty that face the Basotho nation. She further said the government is working tirelessly to ensure that hunger is defeated regardless of climate conditions which sometimes prevent farmers to plant crops for commercial and subsistence farming. Speaking at the same occasion, the District Agricultural Officer Mr.
Ts'olo Mokitimi said farmers have a tendency to delay to start farming and
added that the delay contributes in poor harvesting. Mr. Mokitimi also
encouraged tractor owners to register at the department of agriculture so
that they could be provided with skills on proper ploughing. He said the
department has only four tractors, which he said are not enough to plough
all fields, whose owners will be interested to get into partnership with the
government. Some of the tractor owners complained that they have not been
paid the money they are being owed for the last season. They requested the
government to make proper arrangements to avoid delay in payments. | |
| SOURCE: LENA |