Lesotho Dairy Products temporarily suspended milk collection in March this year to carry out essential maintenance at its processing plant, leaving many farmers with surplus milk and nowhere to sell it. The halt, which ran until 1 April, was necessary to repair the plant’s Cleaning-in-Place (CIP) system and fix machinery faults affecting milk handling quality….

Farmers, bankers, and project officials convened in Mohale’s Hoek for an open discussion on the implementation of the Smallholder Agricultural Development Project Phase II (SADP II) Matching Grants Programme, tackling long-standing challenges that have hindered progress and delayed benefits for beneficiaries. The two-day meeting, organised by SADP II, aimed to identify operational bottlenecks in the…

Director General veterinary services Dr Lepheane has confirmed new cases of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in five districts of Lesotho, raising concern among livestock farmers. The outbreaks have been recorded in Letseng (21), Mahlasela(6), Matsoku (4), Vuka-Mosotho(4), Ha Mokhothu(3) and Letlapeng (2), affecting districts including Butha-Buthe District, Mokhotlong District, Leribe District, Berea District and…

Her Majesty Queen ‘Masenate Mohato Seeiso shone a spotlight on farmers and producers at the third National Market Day, engaging directly with exhibitors and underscoring the significance of local production for the country’s food security. Hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition through the Smallholder Agricultural Development Project (SADP), the event took…

Thirty-five young farmers in Quthing have received broiler chickens as part of a government-supported initiative aimed at enhancing youth participation in agriculture and addressing unemployment. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition, through the Smallholder Agriculture Development Project (SADP II), distributed 200 broiler chickens and 14 bags of feed to each beneficiary. This initiative…

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security through the Livestock Department has banned all animal gatherings, livestock markets, shows, auctions, and informal trading following reported cases of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the districts of Botha Bothe, Mahlasela cattle post and Qacha ‘s Nek, Letlapeng. The Ministry said it will only allow essential activities, which will…

…Ministry’s Delay Buries Farmers’ Cattle Dreams …Lumpy Skin cases increase to over 1000 Lesotho’s farming communities are engulfed in panic and sorrow as lumpy skin disease ravages cattle herds, leading to economic ruin and emotional trauma. Farmers across various districts report that the outbreak has revealed significant delays in the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security…

Lesotho has officially confirmed an outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) in the northern part of the country, placing the livestock sector on high alert as the government simultaneously combat Lumpy Skin Disease. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition, through the Department of Livestock, announced that the outbreak was reported on 18 February after…

MASERU – In a decisive effort to combat youth unemployment and enhance farming productivity, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has provided agricultural inputs to 40 more young Basotho farmers through the Smallholder Agriculture Development Project II (SADP II) at the Agricultural District Office in Maseru. With the first group receiving inputs in November,…

Berea farmers gathered at the Teya-Teyaneng Resource Centre for a consultative meeting with the Northern Agricultural Hub to improve production quality and increase market access. The discussion centred on guiding farmers through the entire agricultural value chain, from production to post-harvest handling and marketing. The Northern Agricultural Hub is a government-established facility designed to aggregate,…