Local farmers welcome temporary import restrictions

MAMELLO SEBATANE

Maseru – Local farmers have welcomed the announcement by the Ministry of Small Business Development, Co-operatives and Marketing to restrict imports of fresh vegetables this month.

One farmer Sefali Sefali said the decision by government will enable him and other farmers to sell all their produce with few complications.

“Due to the recent heavy rains, we have been able to produce more so government has helped us a lot because we are going to sell most of our produce and hopefully make good returns,” he said.

He further indicated some supermarkets are already approaching local farmers for supply of fresh vegetables.

“They used to complain that our products are expensive so they always opted to buy abroad,” he said adding they will not be competing with international farmers and suppliers for some time.

Another farmer and farming consultant, Kuleile Mokhitli, said the decision exposes some of the challenges faced by local famers in Lesotho.

“Lack of storage facilities in our country is a problem because we cannot keep our produce fresh for a long time so we have to sell everything within a short period before our products are spoilt,” he said.