06 Jul 2021

Farmers in the North West region have been urged to explore a feedlot system for smooth selling of their cattle.

Speaking during a visit to Batawana abattoir in Toteng Monday, Assistant Minister of Agricultural Development and Food Security, Ms Beauty Manake, said reports indicated that the region had a high cattle population yet there were no feedlot establishments.

She said farmers struggled to sell their animals because of quarantine process at the only Makalamabedi quarantine.

Feedlots, she said, could be a huge opportunity and act as a solution to farmers woes of accessing the market since they had to keep their cattle 90 days in quarantines at their expense.

The assistant minister said feedlots for beef production were common in other areas across the country and succeeding as they ease selling for cattle.

She said the system was ideal since it assisted animals to quickly acquire market body weight within a short period of time rather than keeping them for 90 days in a quarantine.

Ms Manake called on department of Agriculture in Maun to facilitate farmers to venture into feedlots to relieve Makalamabedi quarantine noting that currently, there were only feedlots fifteen across the country. 

The department, she said should to empower farmers to benefit from the resources they had.

The acting regional agricultural coordinator, Dr Ramosamo Rancheke admitted that there were no feedlots in the region but explained that they were trying their best to help farmers who owned farms that were intact to venture into quarantine system to relieve the Makalamabedi quarantine.

However, principal veterinary officer, Dr Bruce Mafonko concurred that opening a feedlot was a huge undertaking as one had to consider numbers of cattle first and secure a market.

A feedlot, he said needed 5 000 or more cattle.  Dr Mafonko said from the Veterinary side, they believed that grass fed beef was more lucrative at the moment as farmers were making better profits. He called for the resuscitation of the Nokaneng quarantine to complement Makalamabedi one.

Batawana abattoir director, Mr Gavin Godfery also pointed out that feedlots could not work in the region as they were not allowed to sell meat from red zone to the southern part of the country except deboned meat.

In addition, he said it would be costly for an ordinary farmer to sell animals to the feedlots.

An official from Botswana Agricultural Marketing Board (BAMB), Dr Benjamin Ditsele welcomed feedlot initiative saying his organization was ready to take such an opportunity once started.

He said feedlots could act as quarantines. Dr Ditsele said BAMB could also stock more medicine and feeds to feed all kinds of animals. 

For her part, National Development Bank (NDB) customer service manager, Ms Sophie Botlhagile said they offered financial solutions.  

She advised farmers to utilize their services to run businesses which could be able to help the country reduce import bill.

 

Although, she said loan repayment was a serious challenge especially in the horticulture projects as farmers experienced problems such as poor soils, drying of rivers she nonetheless encouraged farmers to approach the bank before installment resumed to restructure the loan.  ENDS