27 Jul 2022

Agricultural authorities have outlined measures being undertaken to transform  the  livestock industry.

  Minister of Agriculture Mr Fidelis Molao accompanied by Department of Animal Production deputy director, Mr Thomas Tadubana gave a detailed account of the measures over Radio Botswana on Tuesday.

  Mr Molao said the aim of the transformation drive was to increase livestock population and improve carcass quality.

The  transformation involved all interested parties and was primarily pinned on Artificial Insemination (AI) and the use of quality bulls, rams and bucks spearheaded by President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi, he said.

Mr Molao said Botswana’s cattle population had been gradually declining from the over three million estimated in 1979.

“The last cattle census of 2015 estimated the drastically decreased cattle population ranging between 1.3 million and 1.7 million. The goat population was also estimated to be between 1.3 million and 1.7 million while the sheep population was estimated to be around 264 000,” he said.

He said the diminishing  numbers were a result of factors such as declining pastures, drought, high mortality rate, lack of care by farmers as well as predators.

 “Another challenge was the ratio of cows per bull. There are cases where a farmer will have a herd of cows without a bull. A farmer will have about 20 to 60 cows without a bull. They only reproduce by chance,” he added. 

Mr Molao said for a farmer to be productive, the calving rate per breeding season must exceed 80 per cent with anything below 60 per cent undesirable.

The situation, he said, called for urgent, drastic and effective measures. 

The minister said despite the challenges, government was working hard to secure markets for livestock meat adding that a lucrative market had been identified in the Arab world. 

“Our current setback is that we do not have the numbers to sustain production and supply of meat of the desired quantity to the market,” he lamented.

Mr Molao said President Masisi’s bulls, rams and bucks donation initiative was intended not only to improve meat quality but also to increase livestock population.

He said the initiative augmented existing programmes such as AI. 

“We engage bulls of the desired breeds such as Charolaise, Limousine, Brahman and many others at our AI camps,” he said.

Mr Molao said through AI and the presidential initiative, the calving rate, especially in communal areas, was expected to improve.

He said during the President’s recent working visit to France, the country managed to purchase Charolaise and Limousine bulls semen. 

The intention was to increase the numbers to even in excess of a million samples, he said.

Though AI had long been in place, its uptake by farmers remained a challenge, Mr Molao said adding that intensive education on the merits of the programme was required.

“As we appeal to our people to change through the Reset Agenda, we equally appeal to pastoralists to adopt new and technologically advanced means of increasing and upgrading quality of their livestock. We want to see immediate impact,” said Mr Molao.

He assured the nation that buying semen of exotic cattle breeds would not threaten  the indigenous Tswana and Mosi cattle.

“This does not mean that the genetics of our indigenous cattle breeds are under threat of extinction. We are doing our all to develop and preserve them.

  “We are going to buy bulls semen from local farmers and the farmers must also be ready to export semen,” he said.

   Meanwhile, Mr Tadubana has said planned changes at AI camps were meant to increase the programme’s   accessibility. 

  The intention was to increase the number of cattle allowed at AI centres which currently admitted 4 500 cows per breeding season instead of the projected 11 000, he explained.

   To increase uptake, he revealed, the department had resolved to receive cows for AI in three batches per breeding season. 

  “We will also engage the private sector to participate actively by registering private inseminators, vets and scientists who will be allowed to offer AI to individual farmers,” said Mr Tadubana.

 Another ongoing initiative, he said, was on-farm AI. 

  “Farmers and private sector will be encouraged to fully engage in AI as it will not only benefit the livestock sector but also create employment opportunities,” he said.

  Mr Tadubana revealed that 1 000  inseminators had been trained and were available for carrying out AI. 

  “We will also go on increasing the numbers of inseminators admitted for training annually. Currently we train 40 inseminators annually and therefore will increase the number to 120, giving priority to animal scientist graduates, who will assist in doing on-farm and mobile AI,” he said.

 Mr Tadubana said another proposed change towards  livestock industry development  was outsourcing distribution of semen to the private sector. 

 “We also encourage those willing and capable of producing liquid nitrogen to engage in such businesses and even distribute it to farms undertaking AI. The semen is stored under extremely cold temperatures and is preserved in liquid nitrogen. We are doing all this to increase the uptake of AI,” he said.

 According to Mr Tadubana, using AI was the cheapest means of improving livestock quality. 

  Explaining the process, he said cows brought to AI centres for insemination were kept under observation for five to six months at government’s expense with the farmer paying  P10 per animal and for P25 semen.ENDS