Double trouble: Matsiloje farmers battered by FMD, El Nino

Cattle along the boarder PIC: DAILYNEWS
Cattle along the boarder PIC: DAILYNEWS

While Matsiloje and other villages in its periphery are still smarting from the effects of the closure of a mine within their environs a few years back, the twin tragedies of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and El Niño are lingering on the horizon. Staff Writer LEBOGANG MOSIKARE reports

FRANCISTOWN: Pastoral farming in the Zone 6B area in the North East District (NED) is no longer the vocation that for yonks sustained many rural households. It now seems to be a curse that makes farmers wonder what pain it inflicts on their lives. Recently, farmers in the Zone 6B area woke up to bad news from the Ministry of Agriculture Development and Food Security (MADFS) that a herd of about 200 cattle from Zimbabwe, an FMD hotbed, had crossed the border into Matsiloje, Botswana.

Pastoral farmers in Botswana especially Matsiloje and surrounding villages need no explanation of what the cattle emigration from Zimbabwe into Botswana mean to their lives.

Editor's Comment
Routine child vaccination imperative

The recent Vaccination Day in Motokwe, orchestrated through collaborative efforts between UNICEF, USAID, BRCS, and the Ministry of Health, underscores a commendable stride towards fortifying child health services.The painful reality as reflected by the Ministry of Health's data regarding the decline in routine immunisation coverage since the onset of the pandemic, is a cause for concern.It underscores the urgent need to address the...

Have a Story? Send Us a tip
arrow up