By Kefiloe Kajane
The Lesotho National Dairy Board (LNDB) and Lesotho National Farmers Union(LENAFU) this week signed a memorandum of agreement intended to subsidize dairy farmers that were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and enable them to buy fodder.
Farmers will receive a 15 percent discount off fodder purchases and a chance to buy fodder from LNDB on credit.
LENAFU president ‘Mamolise Lawrence said they have put aside over M320 000 to facilitate the initiative to help grow the dairy industry.
She said they are doing their part and it is now up to the dairy farmers to work hard to maximize milk production.
LNDB chairperson Abiel Mashale said they are aware of the challenges faced by dairy farmers that work with LNDB, regarding buying animal feeds at exorbitant prices in South Africa.
“We saw it befitting to at least subsidize the prices of animal feeds by 15 percent even though it is still costly on us as we buy it from South Africa. However, we want this industry to grow. We also encourage our dairy farmers to invest in growing their own fodder.
“It will be great to see our people growing their own fodder as that would save the country millions of Maloti. I know we can do this the same way we have done many other things that have helped us get here as the industry,” he said.
He indicated that they have helped in the procurement of dairy cows and with that there is no longer milk that comes from outside the country to be processed. He said Lesotho is now able to produce its own milk and process it, and there are still more cows to come for the dairy farmers to buy.
He further expressed hope that in the next years, farmers will also be in a position to produce their own dairy cows so that they do not have to buy them from South Africa where they are already in short supply anyway.
One of the dairy farmers, Lekhooa Pitso, thanked both LNDB and LENAFU, adding that farmers have indeed benefited in many different ways through the initiatives of the two organisations.
Pitso said they will take LNDB’s advice and invest in growing their own fodder, as they are well aware of how much that would help them. He said this can only be achieved with the unity and hard work of diary famers.
