29 Jul 2015

Secretary of Zone 7 Farmers Association has expressed concern about livestock farmers who have not joined the association.

Mr Maphole Masilompana said in a meeting recently that since the association was registered in 2013, only 31 farmers joined the association, something which he said was not good for the zone that had many challenges such as Foot and Mouth Disease.

He said the committee members were forced to use their own money to run the affairs of the association because of low membership although the area had a lot of farmers who owned large herds of cattle.

Mr Masilompana said in 2012, there was drought and many people showed interest but after the area recovered, many disassociated themselves from the organisation.

Since its formation, he said they managed to remove some stumbling blocks particularly in relation to cattle sales, such as certain brands that were supposed to appear when cattle were sold.

He said the association was an affiliate of the Botswana Beef Producers Union and therefore urged his counterparts to join it to ensure its survival and to pursue challenges they face.

Another committee member, Mr Tshukudu Mokobela, said cattle industry was faced with many challenges such that some farmers in other areas accused Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) for enjoying unlimited monopoly in the beef production.

But said those that accused monopoly should understand that there were some small farmers that could not afford to market and sell their beef in foreign countries.

Mr Mokobela said being involved in international business was a risky one which some farmers could end up losing their cattle to fraudulent agents who claim to solicit markets elsewhere.

He said even locally there were some buyers that cheat others and wondered how in an international stage that could be avoided and said BMC was relevant although it was taking long to pay farmers that sell cattle to it.

He advised farmers to keep records of their livestock and learn the proper feeds and vaccinations. Ends