Fallow Fields Won't Feed The Nation- Khama
Monday, May 10, 2010
"I am disturbed by the amount of agricultural land that is lying uncultivated when we import over 60 percent of our food," said the President. "The government is, therefore, working with relevant local authorities to repossess unutilised agricultural land to allocate it to serious farmers, the small, micro, medium and enterprises."
Khama said the country cannot be fed from idle land and that it is time to manage agriculture in such a way that profits are maximised. To that end, unutilised government farms are to be leased out to serious farmers. "Plans are at an advanced stage to lease out 99 000 hectares of land in Banyana Farm for livestock production," he said.
While it is widely acknowledged that Khama holds the title of Kgosi, the government’s failure to properly gazette his recognition has raised serious concerns about adherence to legal procedures and the credibility of traditional leadership. (See a story elsewhere in this newspaper.) Recent court documents by the Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Kgotla Autlwetse, shed light on the intricacies of Khama’s recognition process....