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ISPAAD tractor owners in stalemate with gov’t

Farmer ploughing with a tractor.PIC MORERI SEJAKGOMO
Farmer ploughing with a tractor.PIC MORERI SEJAKGOMO

A stalemate has developed between government and tractor owners over the rates for ISPAAD mechanised services, with the deadlock threatening the success of the cropping season.

Since the Integrated Support Programme for Arable Agriculture Development (ISPAAD)'s inception in 2008, tractor owners say government has been paying them P1,160 per hectare for their ploughing services.

However, the Botswana Tractor Association says that the rates paid by government have remained stagnant for more than a decade and the costs of providing mechanised tillage services have increased through pressures such as inflation, fuel, and spare parts.

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