15 Feb 2022

Batswana have been urged to position themselves for business opportunities that might arise from value chains brought about by construction of Tsabong Multispecies Abattoir which is expected to be completed by July.

Acting Kgalagadi District Agricultural coordinator Mr Bornwell Mabechu said in an interview that it was critical for Batswana to start mobilising resources and form businesses to benefit  from the value chains.

He said government identified a small stock market at Saudi Arabia and Norway hence the need for farmers to work on improving quantity and quality of their flock to be able to meet the demand.

“Our supply should be enough to supply the abattoir once the abattoir begins to operate,” he said.

He said officers were on the ground conducting community mobilisation to ensure that farmers were well prepared. Furthermore, Mr Mabechu said government continued to facilitate farmers to enable them  to meet international livestock traceability requirements.  

He said government recently launched Botswana Animal Information and Traceability System (BAITS) ear tags launched at Lobu Smallstock Farm which farmers were expected to use.

Expounding on abound opportunities, he said the animals could be used wholly from using the meat to the by-products such as the hooves, horns, the skin, bones.

Other areas, he said, were the transport and logistics where synergies could be formed to transport the animals to the market. Moreover, he said, others could benefit by focusing on producing input suppliers, stock feed, supply medicines, while others could go into the digitization space.

“For example a young person could form a business of lodging farmers stock into the BAITS system at a small fee” he suggested.

He said the new infrastructural development would increase the number of skins and hides hence the need for a professionalized approach to procurement and processing of such by-products in the area.

Mr Mabechu noted that large volumes of water would be disposed from the abattoir on a daily basis, which could be recycled and used to water fodder planted around the abattoir.

He added that more opportunities were available in food processing and food technology. ENDS