28 Jun 2019

Botswana hopes to learn more from its relationship with Rwanda on advancing a private sector led economy, Minister of Agricultural Development and Food Security, Mr Fidelis Molao has said.

He made the reamrks when Rwanda president, Mr Paul Kagame, visited FeedMaster Botswana and Senn Foods cannery plant in Tlokweng on Thursday.

Minister Molao said Botswana had resolved to support the private sector in taking a lead in creating employment.

“As a beef producing country, we are hopeful that we will be able to open avenues of increased factories in the beef industry so that our people can benefit. I am heartened by the desire for the company’s envisaged expansion that will improve what Botswana has to offer as a leading beef producing country,” he said.

At Feedmaster Botswana, President Kagame was taken on a tour of the feedlot where he was shown best practices in upgrading the condition of cattle before being processed for beef export markets.

Feedmaster Botswana feedlot manager, Mr Marcus Smith said in an interview that President Kagame’s visit was prove that Botswana was compliant with European Union (EU) requirements for exporting meat.

“We are an EU registered holding facility, fully certified and we comply with EU veterinary requirements,” he said.

Feedmaster Botswana feedlot has a carrying capacity of 10 000 cattle that are bought from communal farmers, fattened by the company for 150 days before being sold to Botswana Meat Commission.

The company was established in Lobatse in 1991 . Feedmaster Botswana sources cattle feed locally and other preservatives from Zambia and South Africa.

Meanwhile Senn Foods, Group CEO, Mr Richard Frohlich said the meat process plant and fresh meat and canning plant strived to produce quality meat and it currently exported to Lesotho and Zimbabwe.

He said Senn Foods was in the process of revamping the processed meat plant to increase its export status.

“We are doing our best to increase export status from 500 tonnes to increase capacity to 700tonnes. Phase two of our phase lift will enable us to achieve capacity of 1000 tonnes. Our goal remains to produce quality products to remain one of market leaders in the meat industry. Also we want to ensure that our goal remains to produce a product that enables us to remain industry leaders as well as to extend our footprint across borders,” he said.

Senn Foods is a private company owned by Batswana and was established 34 years ago. It offers fresh meat process plant and canning division factory outlets across Gaborone and Francistown and employs just under 1000 employees. Ends