29 Jun 2022

The director of Batawana Beef Abattoir, Mr Gavin Godfrey has appealed to the government to assist in securing a transit permit from the Namibian government to export beef to the Middle East. 

Mr Godfrey made the request to the Assistant Minister of Agriculture, Mr Molebatsi Molebatsi, who was touring the plant to appreciate its operations. 

He  revealed that they had secured a lucrative market in countries such as Liberia and Gabon, but it was impossible to reach customers.

 He said efforts to use the Namibian route had not borne fruit because of the area’s red zone status.

“Our biggest challenge is to export our meat through Namibia and I plead with you to engage the Namibian government on the issue, because once we get the transit permit, we will make more profit and pay our farmers better,” he added.

Mr Godfrey further explained that they could use the Zambian route to reach East Africa, but it was too costly.

He said COVID-19 had affected them as they lost their local market, especially the tourism sector, due to the fact that there were no tourists to cater for.

He, however, expressed optimism for a return to normalcy, revealing that the abattoir was in a good position to increase its slaughtering capacity. In response, Mr Molebatsi said the ministry was aware of the issue and assured them that they would engage the Namibian government further.

He noted that it was the government’s priority to create a conducive environment for business to strive to create employment opportunities, transfer skills and pay tax.

He also hailed the abattoir for being a step ahead in securing markets that government found difficult to access because there were a lot of requirements to meet.

“I was not aware that there was an enterprise from Botswana exporting beef to Middle East. I am very excited about what you are doing because it is in line with the government’s agenda of having a private sector-led economy,” he added.

Mr Molebatsi urged management to work jointly with government to compare notes and to also buy animals at better prices, as the Ngamiland farming community had peculiar challenges. 

Batawana abattoir manager, Mr Jan Stander said they had employed 50 people, noting that they had a processing plant for de-boning, packing and boxing to meet quality control requirements. Mr Stander said there was no market for bones, but the abattoir  exported skins. Ends