By Matṧeliso Phulane
Members of the Lesotho National Farmers Union (LENAFU) have called for tougher measures to regulate the importation of agricultural products from outside the country.
The farmers want a curb on importing agricultural produce to promote the sale of their locally grown products.
They made this call during the farmers’ meeting with prime minister Ntsokoane Samuel Matekane in Maseru this week.
The president of LENAFU ‘Mathabo Tsepa said the union wants a consolidated strategy to enable the sale of locally produced items instead of allowing importation of goods which could be available locally.
“As farmers, we really appeal for the enforcement of strict rules and regulations to restrict the importation of products such as poultry products, fruits and vegetable as well as livestock products, since most of our farmers are capable of producing them in the country,” Tsepa said.
Among others, she appealed for incubation centres used for higher production of broiler chicken and layers to supply other farmers across the country, because currently they are still being ordered in South Africa.
There should be incubation centres in other districts instead of not being located in only Maseru to accommodate those in the lowlands,” she appealed
She added that many farmers do not have enough knowledge about rearing of broilers and layers, hence the ministry must ensure that they are well trained for highest grade production enough to supply the market.
“Farmers also appeal for the re-establishment of egg-circles which will assist farmers with barcoding, grading, and packaging of their produce,” she said
Tsepa added that the government should consider establishing an agricultural bank to enable farmers to grow in crop farming.
She urged for support of farmers with finances to increase their production.
“Farmers should also be given financial support to meet them halfway in their crop farming, there should also be good trainers with broad knowledge who will guide farmers.
“Apart from that, there has to be proper control and distribution of fertilizers, agricultural equipment and medication to enhance value,” Tsepa noted.
At the meeting Matekane reassured the farmers that government was fully committed to increasing agricultural production in order to beat poverty.
He said when he attended the Dubai Expo in 2021, Middle East nations said they imported food from other countries since most of their land is a desert; he said this could be an opportunity for Lesotho to export food to the Arab countries.
He noted that due to the size of the Moshoeshoe I International Airport, it will not be easy for Lesotho to export goods on a large scale, meaning the government will have to reconstruct the airport.
He said they will bring their experts to guide Basotho on which goods to produce, adding that this will give Basotho an opportunity to produce goods on a larger scale so as to export them.
He promised to increase the capacity of the ministry of agriculture and food security as a measure to address food insecurity and challenges facing farmers.
He said fertilisers will soon be available for all farmers, and the tilling price will also be reduced.
At the same occasion, the minister of agriculture and food security, Thabo Mofosi said all farming inputs such as seeds and fertilizers will be available in the country in order for farmers to go out to work in the fields.
The meeting followed last week’s media briefing by Mofosi where he said farmers were behind schedule for this year’s summer cropping.
He said his ministry has already purchased inputs, and that he was expecting seeds, fertilizers and herbicides to arrive in the country in 10 days.
”We urge farmers to plant hybrid maize seeds before December 15 this year and beans until February next year,” he highlighted.
However, he feared that this season’s harvest has been adversely affected by rains just like the previous farming season where farmers failed to plough their fields due to fields that were waterlogged.
The minister who is also a renowned crop farmer urged farmers to start preparing for the winter cropping, saying ploughing wheat and potatoes as well as sunflower will go a long way towards supplementing poor harvests expected this season.
When asked if the increasing fuel prices won’t be a major stumbling block for summer cropping and what the new government is planning to do to address the challenge, he said the government is only about two weeks old and there is a lot on their table to consider before making any commitments.
He promised that the government is yet to make long-term plans on how farming, in general, should be addressed, saying the media briefing was only about addressing mid-term and short-term challenges.
The minister said government subsidies will remain unchanged for now, but that farming inputs will be distributed to all districts to avoid long queues in Maseru.
Lesotho is prone to climate change which disrupts farming and affects harvests.
