Ministry to assess Glen Valley applications (06 February, 2004)

GABORONE - The minister of lands and housing is to make a final decision following the assessment of applications for 47 Glen Valley horticultural plots that was completed in October last year.
Principal Land Officer, Tshebetso Kgatlwane, said the assessment of the plots, which were advertised last year, took long to complete because many people had applied for them. The evaluation started in August and continued into October.
About 300 applicants were invited for interview and the recommendations would be based on the merits of the business plan when the minister makes the final decision.
The plots would be allocated on a 25-year lease and tenants would pay 25t per square metre as rent. The small scale plots range from 1.7 to 3.8 hectares while medium to large is 7.65 to 12.4 hectares.
In an interview with BOPA in November last year, the Director of Lands Ngaka Monagen said "people with horticultural land somewhere will not be considered." He said the government wants to encourage locals to supply the country with horticultural products such as vegetables and fruits to reduce the country's dependency on neighbouring countries.
The plots were serviced by the National Master Plan for Arable and Agricultural Dairy Development (NAMPAADD). BOPA