The Prime Minister, Mr. Ntsokoane Samuel Matekane says the government aims to improve Agriculture.
He said this during his official meeting with the farmers which was held at Manthabiseng Convention Centre on Monday.
He said while at Dubai Expo in 2021, the Middle East authorities said they import food from other countries since most of their land is a desert, saying this could be an opportunity for Lesotho to export food to these countries.
Mr. Matekane however noted that due to the size of the Moshoeshoe I International Airport, it will not be easy for Lesotho to export goods on a larger scale, saying the government will have to reconstruct the airport.
He said they agreed with the authorities that they will bring their experts to guide Basotho on which goods to produce, saying this will give Basotho an opportunity to produce goods on a larger scale so they can export them.
The Prime Minister promised to work together with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition to address farmers’ challenges as presented.
He said soon the fertilisers will be available for all farmers, saying the price of the hector will also be lowered.
Speaking on behalf of the farmers, the President of Lesotho National Farmers Union, Mrs. Mathabo Tsepa thanked the Prime Minister for giving them an opportunity to meet with him.
She noted that they are excluded in the formulation of strategic plans in the ministry, saying it is not appropriate that they are excluded hence should be included as they are the major stakeholders.
Access to finance remains the biggest challenge that farmers still face in the country, she said, noting that farmers believe the government can establish a bank or a financial institution aimed at financing farmers, especially small-scale farmers.
She, therefore, urged for the investigation to find out more about the failure of the Agricultural Bank and make a study on similar banks which were successful in other countries.
Mrs. Tsepa added that other things that hinder progress in agriculture include the lack of incubation centres which she said results in low production of chickens as sometimes they receive infertile eggs, saying the establishment of incubation centres across the country will fight many challenges.
She appealed to the Prime Minister to consider the re-establishment of the X-circle, saying it helps farmers to grade, price, and package their products.
Farmers also stressed the need for the National Subsidy Program to be run by the government together with farmers and entrepreneurs to ensure that they arrive on time and eliminate corruption in the program.
The Prime Minister is expected to meet with the Private Sector on Friday.
By Staff Reporter: ‘Maphoka Likotsi
