07 Jul 2021

Entrepreneurs have been urged to include a national trade mark in their products.

Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC) investment manager, Ms Mpho Ntshese, said while they appreciated labelling and branding of products, it was also advisable to include the national trade mark for easy identification especially when exploring the international market.

She said this on Tuesday when selling some of the investment opportunities offered by BITC to one of the entrepreneurs, Mr Augustine Mopipi who run a poultry project in the periphery of Chanoga, 40km from Maun.

Ms Ntshese, who was part of the Assistant minister of Agricultural Development and Food Security, Ms Beauty Manake entourage which was touring projects, urged entrepreneurs to utilise BITC services and assistance that could further their investment.

Although she was impressed to learn that Mr Mopipi branded his product by the company name: Maun Eggs’ and enjoyed support from the local market, he advised him to also include the national trade mark.

She also pledged to work closely with him so that he could penetrate the entire local market even beyond borders.  

BITC, she said, had assisted some entrepreneurs and enabled a good business environment.

Ms Ntshese said they had clients in the free range poultry projects whom they had helped to penetrate markets such as the hospitality industry.

She also acknowledged that Mr Mopipi had an advantage since he was operating in the tourism area noting that tourists prefered free range eggs.

For his part, Mr Mopipi explained that he started the project from his savings in 2019 with 1 000 layers and it was doing well. He produced 150 dozens a day, which translated to 1 800 eggs.

The project, he said, had grown within a short period of time noting that he owned 2 000 layers.

He also said he had secured another market at Khoemacu Copper Mine. 

The project, he said, had potential to grow considering the market he had secured adding that he was ready to approach financial institutions for assistance and work with organisations such as BITC.

“I have been preparing myself for growth as I had already engaged an accountant to look into my books and see if am on track. The market I secured allows me to increase my layers from 2 000 to 8 000 and I am hopeful that I will achieve my dream,” he added.

Mr Mopipi also welcomed the advise to include the national trade mark in his products saying it would earn him recognition.

Assistant Minister Manake commended Mr Mopipi for running a promising business and advised him to do it in a sustainable and professional manner.

Ms Manake appreciated the business model he adopted saying tourism industry indeed loved eggs from free range and encouraged him to practice proper health management to grow his business. 

Eggs industry, she said, was one of the sectors with strict regulations since entrepreneurs had to be professional, register, do branding and include bar codes on their products.

Ms Manake advised him to work closely with Local Enterprise Authority (LEA), which she said could help him to satisfy the environment. 

Mr Mopipi was also advised to consider integrated farming to complement what he had. Ends