03 Aug 2020

Organic Fertilizer Manufacturers Botswana (OFMB) has seized the opportunity presented by abundant animal waste to produce and supply locally manufactured organic fertilisers to suit the region, community, soils and crops requirements.

In an interview, OFMB managing director, Mr Michael Hallam said the company had taken the opportunity to use animal waste primarily in the beef and poultry industries to manufacture organic fertilisers.

The company also capitalised on its ownership of a feedlot while established work relations with the local poultry industries gave the company an abundant source of the requisite material in producing the fertilisers.

“We have a general overview of the types of soil in the different regions across the country. We do give farmers services in soil testing and we recommend suitable fertilisers,” said Mr Hallam.

Located in Mmamashia, some 15km from Gaborone, the company came into being after identifying a niche of producing fertilisers within the agriculture value chain.

The company which started off with selling compost manure, mostly to residents and the business community at Phakalane, have since ventured into organic fertilisers.

Explaining the process of organic fertilisers, Mr Hallam said the composting process usually took three to six months with careful monitoring of temperature.

“When it reaches 65 degrees centigrade the windrowed is turned and water is added when necessary,” he said. He noted that the process ensured that any weeds or disease were killed to ensure that the product did not come with unwanted plants that could compete for food with crops.

Mr Hallam said the company was determined to consistently supply relevant fertilisers to the farmers, as per their needs. “We have a range of seven fertiliser products which are fully certified as organic. We also have blended fertilizers which is equivalent to chemical fertilisers,” he said.

Other than that, he said they also offered organic granules, liquid fertilisers, and blended inorganic chemical fertilisers as well as blended inorganic and organic fertilisers. “In total, we have registered 24 registered types of fertilizers which we believe are suited for Batswana,” he said.

He said a new product in their line of products would be introduced after engaging in thorough research to ensure that it adhered to the set standards and was also in line with the new trends. Mr Hallam said the company was not only focused on satisfying the local market but has also explored opportunities beyond the border.

The company has been exporting to South Africa since December 2014 and has opened distributorships in different provinces in South Africa. “We have registered products in Zambia and Zimbabwe and in the process of registering in Nigeria, DRC, Angola and Namibia. We also supply Europe and America.

This means that we are an international entity,” he said.

OFMB operations and maintenance manager, Mr Martin Joseph said despite producing a quality product which was in line with the set standards, it was unfortunate that some farmers, business community and individuals settled for substandard products.

As a local company, Mr Joseph said the company was also committed to creating employment opportunities, with a staff compliment of 30 permanent employees of which 22 (88 per cent) were citizens.

“The company, through its distributors is responsible for creating further employment for another 150 to 200 people. The company is cognizant of the fact that employment creation should not be a priority for the government only. We are, therefore, engaging in some strategic partnership to increase job creation,” said Mr Joseph.

Through Economic Diversification Drive, Mr Joseph said the company lobbied government to give locally produced products preferential treatment.“Our business is capable of doing much better than we are doing now. Our goal is to expand our market and I believe with necessary support, we will realise our dreams,” he said. Ends