23 Aug 2018

President Mokgweetsi Masisi has invited Ireland to invest in Botswana.

President Masisi made the plea on August 22 during a courtesy call by the Irish ambassador Mr Laim Mac Gabhann and the CEO of Ireland’s QK Meats, Mr Ivor Queally.

He said Botswana had good quality beef that could be competitive in world markets and therefore called upon the Irish to invest in agribusiness, especially the beef industry.

He admitted that the beef industry had had some short comings, adding however that such investments would speed up the growth of Botswana’s economy.

The President said investing in Botswana would be good as the investors would have good returns and provide job opportunities and growth for Batswana.

President Masisi assured the Irish delegates that Botswana respected the rule of law and that private investment was protected.

Nevertheless, he pointed out that they would be required to pay dues such as tax to the country.

Mr Queally is the CEO of QK meats in South Africa, a subsidiary of the Irish company that is ranked among the leading meat businesses in the world.

In a separate interview, the Minister of Agricultural Development and Food Security, Mr Patrick Ralotsia, said the Irish managed to make their country the biggest net exporter of beef and milk producers in the world because they were intentional.

Mr Ralotsia said Ireland did research to increase production and quality, after which, growth in tonnage became impressive.

He further stated that in Ireland, a farmer has about 17 quality cattle on average. 

For his part, Mr Queally encouraged Batswana to look at better ways of producing enough milk for the country.

He said as Botswana was more or less similar to Ireland in cattle rearing, he was willing to teach Batswana on good returns from their cattle.

He stated that good feed and right genetics could produce enough milk for Botswana.

Mr Queally pointed out that for a healthy and productive cow, feed rations should have a balance to produce enough milk.

He also encouraged Batswana to look at new methods of cattle rearing for best results; saying with a small population of 2.2 million people and enough cattle, Batswana should be able to produce sufficient milk for national demand and export.

He promised to exchange information on agricultural technologies and agricultural projects as well as looking into investing in Botswana to develop the agricultural sector. ENDS