Drought declaration imminent
Mbongeni Mguni | Wednesday March 18, 2015 18:00
The last such announcement was made in July 2013, triggering a range of state-funded interventions costing a collective P217.5 million.
Yesterday, acting Agriculture Minister, Patrick Ralotsia told journalists that ongoing assessments had already noted the telltale signs of drought around the country, particularly in the south.
“In most parts of the country, crops are already showing signs of total failure due to stunted growth, while others have reached permanent wilting point due to the prolonged dry spell and heatwaves which engulfed the country,” he said.
“In some parts of the south, we have found that even where there is moisture in the soil, the crop is unable to absorb it because of extreme heat. “Even the hardy weed known as mokate also ‘failed’ because of the heat.’
According to the ministry, at the last count, 127,800 hectares from 28,000 farmers had been planted nationwide, down from 417,000 hectares from 127,511 farmers the previous season.
Although the figures are preliminary and expected to rise, the increase may not significantly alter the picture in the fields.
“Due to the unfavourable weather conditions it is anticipated that the present cropping season will be a difficult one compared to the previous one where we experienced good showers which resulted in a bumper harvest,” he said.
The poor rains also affected the availability of grazing land for cattle, diminishing livestock quality and forcing the Ministry to urge farmers to destock.“Unfortunately the grazing condition will deteriorate further as the season progresses,” Ralotsia said. “Cattle will lose condition or even die.
“As the year is unfolding to be a difficult one, I take this opportunity to urge farmers to destock. Old cows, oxen and cows without calves must be sold now when they are still in good condition and can attract good prices.
“Only seed stock should be retained for future breeding and multiplication.”
The minister also urged farmers to consider salvaging and saving “whatever crop residue they may have” to feed their livestock.
According to the Meteorological Services department, most parts of the country received poor rainfall in October last year, before the situation improved in mid-November to December. The department also projected below normal rainfall for most of the country between January and March.
The latest indicators from the Agriculture Ministry are in line with feedback Mmegi has received from several recent cropping surveys, where farmers, particularly in the south, have reported low planting rates amidst a host of technical and climactic challenges.
Dikwididi farmer, Idoh Dintwe told Mmegi that the late rains triggered the poor season.
“The situation this year is most dismal. For example we have only been able to plough half of the usual hectarage,“ she told Mmegi during a recent survey.
“First there was the issue of very poor rains. Not only has there been little rain, but it also came late, thus delaying many farmers from ploughing.”
Elsewhere, farmers cited a range of challenges around tillage, seeds, pesticides and even an outbreak of weeds and the unwanted attentions of elephants. Ralotsia said farmers had been warned about the possibility of poor rains in the cropping season and had been advised to move away from their traditional preference for maize, and opt for shorter-maturing, hardier crops.
“We had said, especially for the south where we are drought prone, we should stress on sorghum rather than maize, which is poor at drought resilience,” he told journalists.
The permanent secretary in the ministry of Agriculture, Micus Chimbombi chipped in, saying, “We need to be more sensitive to things. Farmers are advised that they go for hardier or shorter maturing crops, but farmers are people of good faith.
“They make decisions based on their good faith and experience and they have the final decision”.
When Khama last declared a drought, government provided a 35 percent drought relief subsidy on selected livestock feeds and supplements for certain areas, supplied second meals for primary schools and doubled the ration coverage for health facilities in hard hit areas.
In addition, the destitute, vulnerable groups, lactating and expectant mothers, as well as children under the age of five were provided with special insulation from the effects of the drought, through various packages. The Ipelegeng quota was also increased at districts to absorb workers coming from the failed agriculture sector, while food storage facilities were boosted.
Ralotsia said the declaration of a drought would be dependent on factors not necessarily limited to agriculture, such as the situation pertaining to the neediest in society.
“If it was by me, looking only at the agriculture sector, I would say this is a drought year,” he said.