FARMERS PLEA FOR HELP TO START SUMMER CROPPING

QUTHING

Farmers in Quthing fear they will not be able to engage in summer cropping this year because they lack farming inputs and equipment.

         Though summer cropping is expected to start next month, one of the farmers, Mr Nkhahle Lehula said much as the government has reduced prices for farming inputs, It is not easy to buy them because they do not have money.

            He blamed this on last year’s drought saying, “most of the time we use our harvests as seeds, but last year harvesting was poor because of the drought”.

            He also showed that ploughing is another problem as most of the farmers have lost their cattle because of the cross border stock theft, adding that there are only two  tractors in their area which serve too many villages.

            He has appealed to the government to assist them with tractors so that they could avoid the hunger they have experienced since last year.

            The Chief of Ha Koali, Chief Molapo Koali has also echoed the farmers’ words and said  though people who have access to arable land are few, they use their different techniques to share crops during harvesting with other members of the community.

            Meanwhile, the District Crops Officer for Quthing Mr. Letlamoreng Nte has appealed to the farmers who are not able to engage in summer cropping to report themselves at the department of agriculture for solution to their crop-farming problem.

            Quthing has 222 hectares of arable land, 100 hectares in the mountains and 122 hectares are in the lowlands.

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