27 Dec 2018

Chief strategy officer at Botswana Meat Commission in Lobatse, Mr Brian Dioka says the country spends P7 million annually to buy food from other countries.

Speaking at the second edition of Kanye Market Day recently, Mr Dioka emphasised the need for Batswana to support locally manufactured commodities to improve the economy.

He advised Batswana to benchmark and produce foreign foods that they liked to reduce the import bill, adding that they would be creating a lot of jobs thus helping the country to grow.

Mr Dioka advised farmers to produce commodities of value and to take market days seriously,  saying they were avenues for building a broader client base.

He urged farmers to accept feedback from consumers and diversify their products to improve the profitability of their businesses.

He also advised them to work together and to come up with alternatives on what to do if government was to stop or reduce assistance.

Mr Dioka also advised customers to take advantage of market days to buy raw products rather than relying on processed ones. 

He said Mmasekou grounds was strategically positioned to host such events because of its proximity to banking facilities and Mongala Mall.

He expressed the wish that the market day could be held every weekend in the same place, citing a market adjacent Botswana Buildings Society in Gaborone, where people have different clothing stalls on a daily basis.

He said if the idea was taken up, different stakeholders, including his company, could help turn the dream into a reality. ENDS