Principal Chief of Kueneng, Peete Lesaoana Peete, has accused civil servants and MPs of sabotaging Prime Minister Sam Matekane’s initiative to bring agricultural inputs closer to communities.
Chief Peete said the two groups were frustrating the government programme by engaging their own businesses to sell the inputs after acquiring them at heavily subsidised prices.
He made these remarks during the Ninth Meeting of the First Session of the Eleventh Parliament on Tuesday this week, without elaborating.
Chief Peete said Matekane was committed to improving the country but his efforts were being undermined by obstacles created by civil servants.
He cited that there had been a rush among small-scale farmers in the past two years to access agricultural inputs after the premier came up with the idea of distributing inputs in villages.
“We have good plans as a country, but when it comes to implementation, we fail,” he noted. He added that about three months ago, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security had proposed that traders holding valid trading licences should “prepare themselves, renew their licences, clean and prepare their premises, and register with the ministry”.
The traders were expected to take on the role of supplying agricultural inputs which include farming equipment, fertilisers, seeds and pesticides to communities in different villages.
Government had promised that people would be able to access these supplies in their villages instead of travelling to towns, where they would have to sleep in camps while waiting to buy fertilisers and seeds.
“Traders prepared themselves. We saw them everywhere, working with the relevant ministries, including Health, Trade and Agriculture, to prepare for this arrangement. When the time came for them to be given this work, they were ready, and indeed they were ready,” Chief Peete said.
Traders in his area had also prepared themselves and renewed their trading licences after government promised that, within a short period, they would be authorised to purchase agricultural inputs and stock them at premises closer to communities. However, traders were informed a few days ago that the initiative had been abandoned and no explanation was given.
“This means we have gone back to the old system, where we still have to travel to Maseru to buy inputs,” he pointed out.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Security last week announced the commencement of sales of subsidised agricultural inputs for the 2026/27 farming season, with prices remaining unchanged from the previous season.
Minister Selibe Mochoboroane said government will continue to subsidise 70 percent of the cost of seeds, 70 percent of herbicides and 80 percent of manure.
The Ministry had initially announced on August 24 that farmers in mountainous areas could start purchasing seeds and manure, as their farming season begins earlier due to the shorter growing period and colder conditions.
“Procurement and distribution process is 98 percent complete. We have received the requested inputs within the available budget,” he noted.
Mochoboroane said larger agricultural stores in Maseru, Botha-Bothe and Quthing had also been equipped to support neighbouring districts should stocks in those districts run out.
The arrangement is intended to ensure continued access to inputs and reduce disruptions during the farming season, he added.
The government input scheme has in the past been dogged by allegations of theft by civil servants across the country.
Small-scale farmers had previously told theReporter that they were forced to buy implements from private suppliers whose prices are much higher than what government charges.
This saw them significantly reducing their acreages or abandoning their fields altogether.
The farmers also alleged that while they failed to acquire seeds and fertiliser, some influential people including politicians had it easy.
According to World Bank Lesotho, agriculture is an important source of employment and subsistence in the country, with the majority of Basotho – more than 70 percent – dependent on agriculture for both food and income.
The sector holds the most potential for increasing food security, reducing rural poverty and generating on and off farm jobs.
