12 May 2014

Stakeholders in the livestock industry have been urged to create a foundation through which role players could contribute and enhance production of commodities of high quality as well as well as share information.

Officiating at a livestock industry stakeholders’ workshop in Letlhakane on May 8, the environmental coordinator for Orapa, Letlhakane and Damtshaa Mines, Mr Mbakiso Sebina said stakeholders had to identify opportunities for collaboration, promote research and development towards improving the livestock industry.

Mr Sebina said the workshop follows the Department of Animal Production’s participation in a project called “strengthening capacity in agricultural research and development” which introduced the concept of agricultural innovation systems.

He said the concept was based on commodity value chain players approach to form partnerships, adding that the value chain concept approach ensures players such as livestock producers, input suppliers and service providers among other players were aware of their role in producing products and services of high quality and reasonable prices to end users.

Mr Sebina said in an effort to enhance production environment the government has not only committed to import substitution initiative but has also gone further to identify some of the livestock commodities as breakthrough areas.

He said government divided Botswana into agro-ecological zones in terms of their potential competitive advantage in production of agricultural produce. He however said while the increasing integration of global economy offers many opportunities for growth, value chain promotion in developing countries was a complex task that faced daunting challenges.

Mr Sebina said such challenges among others were intense competitive pressure for higher productivity and efficiency to maintain market share and a high risk of marginalisation faced by areas with poor infrastructure and small farms. He said the situation called for an urgent need for a comprehensive approach to value chain development.

He said agro-food/livestock value chain encompasses activities that took place at the farms as well as rural settlements and urban areas. Mr Sebina said other elements such as power generation which from part of the chain environment are also important factors affecting performance of the livestock industry value chain.

Mr Sebina appealed to all stakeholders in the livestock industry to continue working hard to propel the sector to greater heights and for the country to be able to compete with the biggest beef producing countries. ENDS