ISPAAD tractor owners in stalemate with gov’t
Friday, November 25, 2022 | 310 Views |
Farmer ploughing with a tractor.PIC MORERI SEJAKGOMO
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.
According to both the acting director of Veterinary Services, Kobedi Segale and acting Lands and Agriculture minister, Edwin Dikoloti, the virus currently raging through the North-East mostly likely first entered the country during the festive season.From the “unprecedented” number of cases picked in testing last week, it is likely that cattle and other livestock could have been infected last year, without being reported.Animal health...