GABORONE, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Botswana has set aside 97 million U.S. dollars for relief measures following a decision by the southern African country to declare the 2018/19 season as a severe drought year, an official said Thursday.

Ontiretse Letlhare, the clerk of the Botswana cabinet, told Xinhua in a telephone interview that the funds set aside include insurance cover to cushion arable agricultural farmers who took credit guarantee when applying for loans at financial institutions.

Most of Botswana and other countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region received erratic rainfall in the just ended 2018/19 agricultural season resulting in a drought thanks to climate change, according to regional climate experts.

According to Letlhare, Botswana has created an 83.4 million U.S. dollars relief fund and an additional 13.7 million U.S. dollars for premium insurance cover.

"This time the drought is severe and the government (of Botswana) undertakes to pay 85 percent, as it is under the obligation to do so," said Letlhare, adding that the relief fund will assist cattle farmers to buy subsidized animal feeds, vaccines and drugs.

A combination of unevenly distributed rains together with heat waves and dry spells compelled Botswana's President Mokgweetsi Masisi to declare the 2018/19 agricultural season, as a severe drought year.

Botswana is a landlocked country and has a subtropical desert climate characterized by great differences in day and night temperatures and low humidity overall. Enditem.

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