Botswana: Compensation Act Excludes Rats Damage - Official

Tonota — Despite growing complaints from farmers that rats are destroying crops on a large scale, the rodents are not covered under the Compensation Act and do not qualify for government payouts, says Senior Wildlife Warden, Ms Tshola Zibochwa.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Temo Boswa Arable Farmers Association harvest day in Tonota on Thursday, Ms Zibochwa explained that rats were not classified as wildlife under the mandate of the Department of Wildlife and National Parks.

She explained that the primary category of animals managed by her department includes huntable or regulated species, which excludes rats.

Instead, she noted, rats fall under the jurisdiction of agriculture, meaning any linked losses should be reported to the Ministry of Lands and Agriculture.

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Ms Zibochwa stated that only Batswana themselves could convince the government to reclassify rats as problematic animals that merit compensation. In addition she said the Wildlfe department and national parks currently lacked data to present to the government to prove large-scale crop destruction by rodents.

Also, she informed farmers that melon varieties were currently not compensated for when damaged by wildlife, noting that the department lacked figures indicating widespread losses for those same.

Many farmers, like Mr Mukani Mochochwa of the Natale ploughing lands, who grows groundnuts on a large scale, questioned government's exclusion of both rats and melons from compensation arguing that the uncompensated losses undermined national food production and household incomes.

However, Tonota District Agricultural Coordinator, Mr Kebitselepe Motsele, expressed optimism and noted that yields appeared better than expected, more so since some farmers were still harvesting. With the final production figures not yet compiled, Mr Motsele relayed that 2 674 of the 4 109 farmers have been assisted through the Lemang Dijo programme.

"Tonota East managed to plough 879.9 hectares, contributing 30 per cent of the total ploughed area in the Tonota district," he said.

Temo Boswa Arable Farmers Association Chairperson, Mr Nchenje Mogapi, used the moment to set firm rules for members and warned that anyone who abandoned their farm during ploughing season to harvest mopane worms or to seek employment under the Ikageng programme would be expelled from the association.

He reminded all and sundry that no single member of Temo Boswa Association received government's assistance during the past ploughing season. That Notwithstanding, Mr Mogapi was happy that majority of the members managed to plough at least four hectares, primarily using indigenous seeds.

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Kgosi Bokamoso Radipitse of Tonota echoed the call for commitment to food production in his welcome remarks and appealed to farmers not to sell their ploughing fields, suggesting instead that the land should be rented out for production purposes.

"Progressive farmers are recognized by what they produce, whether lablab, white sorghum, or maize," he said, calling for farmers' resilience, especially since crop production remained the mainstay of livelihoods in rural communities.

BOPA