Gov't won’t compensate farmers for killer tick
Mompati Tlhankane | Tuesday February 7, 2023 06:00
Responding to a question in Ntlo Ya Dikgosi recently, Minister of Agriculture Fidelis Molao said they won’t compensate farmers because the condition can be put under control by a concerted effort of the farmers and the ministry.
“Tick in livestock is an animal husbandry practice that every farmer in the country has to undertake to be productive in the livestock industry. Now with the bridge available at Mohembo, outlets selling dips will be engaged to carry out mobile sales for the farming community to buy dips,” he said.
Molao was responding to a question from Kgosi Disho Ndhowe of the Okavango Region. Ndhowe had asked the minister to state the number of livestock killed by amblyomma tick in the area, the measures that have been in place to control the tick and whether government will consider compensating farmers whose livestock was affected. Molao said his ministry is aware of the tick in the area and the extent of the spread of the tick. “In addition, the tick infestation and the eventual death of animals is not only attributed to the tick but to a bacterial disease called dermatophylosis.
The two diseases occur together,” he disclosed. The minister added that since the outbreak started in 2018 with Beetsha and Eretsha extension areas being affected, a total cumulative of 491 cattle have died up to date. He pointed out that crushes affected earlier were Eretsha, Beetsha, and Jungwi followed by Zambia. Molao further indicated that newly affected crushes are Ndorontsha and Gunotshoga.
The number of lost cattle farmers recorded stands at 13. In terms of the Bont tick and dermatophylosis control strategy for the area, Molao revealed that all affected crushes are being treated in all areas with antibiotics and acaricides. “We have intensified farmer training on the disease treatment through Kgotla meetings, schools, on-farm demonstrations, and pamphlets.
We have also intensified surveillance during the rainy season to determine the extent of the disease for timely intervention. The government has movement control restrictions in all affected areas to stop the spread,” he said. Molao admitted, however, that mobile spray races will be used in those areas where crushes are far from homesteads and animals are difficult to round up.
Farmers in Okavango have been battling an uncontrollable infestation of this tick and the disease has been causing misery to farmers in Eretsha and Beetsha. Recently during a political rally in Maun, Botswana Congress Party (BCP) politicians indicated that the government is not doing anything to help farmers in this region to overcome the tick plight. With the amblyomma tick, it is now a double tragedy because people in the area have been battling a human-wildlife conflict as elephants raid crops, leaving farmers with little to no harvest. The tick outbreak is said to have originated in the Tubu area initially in 2015–16 but the tick has, over the years, spread to different areas around the North-Western District.