Maseru, April 02 — Thaba Bosiu legislator Mr Isaac Malebaleba says engaging in crop framing could save this country from imminent poverty and turn the country to be self-sufficient in crop production.
Mr Malebaleba said this in an interview on Sunday, in the wake of purchasing two big tractors from Bethlehem in the Free State worth M5.2 Million.
Mr Malebaleba explained that he was advised by the Minister of Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition on what type of tractors to purchase which will be suitable for farming in Lesotho.
“Lesotho has a good soil of arable land even better than that of South Africa which has been contaminated by chemicals used,” he opined.
He told the Agency that the two tractors will help him engage in winter cropping where he would like to plough wheat.
Furthermore, he said together with other legislators who are crop farmers, they are planning to officially launch crop framing at Kolonyama and Peka in the Leribe district, where all the farmers will bring their farming machinery.
“We would like to engage in farming on a large scale to show that they mean business and would like to see Lesotho not depending on donations for food security’’ he boasted.
He stated that Prime Minister Mr. Ntsokoane Matekane encouraged them to engage in crop farming in order to show unwavering support for King Letsie III as African Union champion and food ambassador of the Food Agricultural Organisation (FAO).
Mr Malebaleba who is businessman specialising in wind meal and sells mealie meal to Basotho and for livestock production said there is a bright future laying ahead in farming and urged other aspirant Basotho to engage in food production.
Mr Malebaleba started farming last year where he planted maize on 116 fields ploughing 422 hectares and is hoping to get a good harvest.
He entered into partnership with the owners of the fields where they share in an 80 to 20 percent, since the owners were unable to plough the fields and do not have to weed.
When he started engaging in farming he hired tractors from one of his colleagues who have been crop farmers for a long time.
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