13 Jun 2019

President of Botswana Association of Local Authorities (BALA), Reverend Mpho Moruakgomo has underscored the need for veld products entrepreneurs to unite and form cooperatives.

 He said as compared to trusts and other business models, cooperatives were the best as they benefitted more people at a time than trading as individuals.

He was speaking at a workshop intended to promote sustainable use and marketing of veld products which was held in Kanye recently.

Rev. Moruakgomo also advised attendants to use cooperatives to develop veld products and improve the marketing of highly used products such as devil’s claw, popularly known as sengaparile in vernacular. He noted that such veld products could be profitable since they were pre-disposed.

Rev. Moruakgomo recalled that during his tenure as a veld product officer in the 80s, they had made strides in creating a wide market for sengaparile, but that the market eventually collapsed due to lack of resilient marketing mechanisms.

“Initially we were exporting it at a low price but we managed to increase the prices due to high demand in other countries. We also ventured into triple entry into the market and were already penetrating a wider market outside the continent,” he said.

Rev. Moruakgomo said the marketing of veld products could still be resuscitated to benefit communities.

He said reducing the value chain and creating a direct market would go a long way in maximising profits for the harvesters of the plants. He also called for more research on the products so that they could be used for medical reasons.

Rev. Moruakgomo called on local authorities to collaborate with communities through local empowerment initiatives to develop veld products.

“The role of the government is to create an enabling environment, and citizens have to come up with innovative ways to develop veld products for economic gain,” he said.Furthermore, Rev. Moruakgomo urged attendants to acknowledge the different roles of each partner in the value chain, and to understand the processes that determined the price.

For his part, Local Enterprise Authority (LEA) business advisor, Mr Golebaone Molefe noted that poor business plans continued to be a challenge for most businesses. He cautioned attendants against rotating the same business plan as it should be unique for each business.

Mr Molefe also encouraged entrepreneurs to use every marketing tool and opportunity at their disposal to promote their businesses. He implored them to take advantage of the social media frenzy to market their products through Facebook among other popular forums.

Additionally, Mr Molefe underscored the need for a robust customer service strategy that could lure customers to the business.

“Most businesses collapse due to poor customer service and this is not a good impression. Customers are the integral part of a business and therefore you need to have good customer service. You should also observe and monitor how your workers provide service to customers because a customer is key,” he noted.

Furthermore, Mr Molefe encouraged them to keep records of their businesses, which he said should be done in the simplest way to track performance.

He advised entrepreneurs against unreasonably exorbitant prices which may work against the business. ENDS