11 Sep 2017

Assistant Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, Mr Biggie Butale says the government has a strategy to penetrate the American market through basketry.

Addressing a kgotla meeting in Shorope recently, Mr Butale encouraged residents to form cooperatives in order to benefit from the strategy, adding that the government was committed to assisting and supporting them in the formation of cooperatives.

He also urged them to take basket weaving seriously as it was profitable and ideal for the American market.

Mr Butale also had the opportunity to visit Shorobe Basketry Cooperative and informed members about the strategy.

He urged members to double their efforts and produce more, noting that the American market emphasised uniformity in products, and that they should produce the same designs, sizes, patterns and quality.

He also added that they should be consistency in delivery.

He said he was impressed by the quality work produced by members of the cooperative, adding that they could easily penetrate the global market.

Mr Butale also stressed the need for skilled weavers to pass the knowledge to the next generation for continuity purposes.

In an interview, the chairperson of Shorobe Basketry Cooperative, Ms Ranolang Keorapetse said she was delighted about the good news from the assistant minister, adding that their hopes were pinned on the strategy.

She explained that a market for their products has been a major challenge, adding that they only benefited from tourists on transit from the Okavango Delta.

She said they intended to meet with stakeholders such as the Department of Cooperatives to map the way forward.

The basketry cooperative, which opened its doors in 1996, was initially sponsored by the International Conservation Union, and Ms Keorapetse said they were making a profit as they targeted tourism operators and tourists who passed through their village to the Safari camps in the delta.

The cooperative, situated on the fringes of the Okavango Delta in Shorobe 30 km from Maun, faced a bleak future for some years due to financial constraints until the Department of Gender Affairs  recapitalised the project with over P200 000.        

The cooperative was re-opened in 2010 and has improved the livelihood of members.

The chairperson said despite the challenges they faced, they continued to produce high quality baskets and other artifacts.

The cooperative has 44 members, 38 women and six men. BOPA