04 Mar 2018

Government, through the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security, will continue to address critical issues on the future of Botswana Meat Commission with due diligence and caution to safeguard the government and public interest in the beef industry.

This was said by agricultural development and food security minister, Mr Patrick Ralotsia, when delivering a statement concerning the future of BMC in parliament recently.

“Government recognises that the beef industry is important for Botswana’s rural population, in particular, and constitutes an important source of both current and potential export earnings,” said Mr Ralotsia.

For that reason, the minister said the beef sub-sector has already been identified as a strategic sub-sector within the country’s Economic Diversification Drive. 

Although the agricultural sector currently accounts for a relatively small portion of the country’s Gross Domestic Product, estimated at about two per cent, the minister said the sector continued to provide employment and enhanced livelihoods to a large proportion of the rural population ‘and is deeply woven into our country’s history and culture.’

However, he said the sub-sector suffered from a number of challenges, including poor and stagnating productivity, weaknesses in support services and lack of profitability in processing and under-exploitation of the quality of produce in the export market. 

“Productivity indicators, such as; CDM, calving rate, bull/cow ratio and mortality have also declined over time challenging the competitiveness of our beef industry,” he added.

Given the ongoing challenges facing the domestic beef sector, in the context of its continued importance to the national economy and livelihoods of Batswana, Minister Ralotsia said debates and discussions regarding the operations of BMC were relevant ‘including whether in its current state, BMC is serving the purpose for which it was established.’ 

To solicit ideas about the future of the beef sub-sector and the role of BMC within it, he said he embarked on a series of meetings countrywide in 2017.

These meetings, he said were attended by stakeholders, including farmers, councillors and Botswana National Beef Producers Union.

Therefore, in light of the recommendations arising from the consultations, the minister said government had agreed to transform BMC and the operations of its three abattoirs.

This transformation, he said would be done through the following measures; that BMC will be converted to a limited liability company and be commercialised to achieve operational efficiencies with an appropriate mix of ownership between farmers’ legal entities and government. 

Other measures are that; the Maun abattoir will be retained as a government entity, and be supported with an annual budget to ensure a market for cattle in Ngamiland and to guard against the spread of Foot and Mouth Disease into the green zones.

“Such support can be reviewed and commercialization explored once the FMD status in the district has been improved on a sustained basis,” said Mr Ralotsia.

Additionally, the minister said a Livestock and Meat Industry Regulator would also be established for control of the livestock industry and all relevant legislative instruments relating to the livestock and meat industry would be reviewed with a view to creating an appropriate regulatory framework. ENDS