Minister of Agriculture Fidelis Molao has revealed that a total of 4 165 applications for Thuo Letlotlo have reached his office since the programme was launched in April this year.
He expressed satisfaction at the interest shown by both the young and elderly people in the program including for its twin program, Temo Letlotlo.
Molao who was officially opening this year’s National Agricultural Show last week added that the country is able to sustain itself in food production despite the harsh weather conditions and the severe drought that hit this year.
“As a country we have realized the benefits of investing in the horticultural sector through Impact Accelerated Subsidy. When the programme was started in 2022, production of horticultural produce stood at 74 000mt for the 2022/23 season and has since exceeded the annual national demand (85 000) as it stands 88 000mt. This is a success that has to be celebrated,” he said.
The minister stated that there were plans to refurbish honey processing plants at Ramatlabama and Lobu in order to improve beekeeping and honey production. “Furthermore, Apiculture has been included in the Thuo Letlotlo programme aimed at transforming the livestock sector and increase its output”.
This year’s theme is “Enhancing Agricultural Productivity Through Utilization of Modern Technologies”.
The minister said that the ministry is transitioning the Agric Show to be administered by farmers and the private sector and that majority of decisions for this year’s preparations were done by the Show Committee while ministry officials facilitated with technical expertise.
“The 2024 National Agricultural Show marks another milestone and despite challenges of agricultural drought, the committee managed to host another successful event. This shows that despite the semi-arid weather, we did not stop to produce food for this country. I applaud you farmers for adopting climate smart farming technologies, which we preach as a ministry,” he said.
