10 Sep 2023

The Acting President Mr Slumber Tsogwane has urged livestock producers in Makalamabedi to sell their cattle to Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) saying it was buying at a good price.

Addressing a kgotla meeting in Makalamabedi recently, Mr Tsogwane stated that BMC had increased prices to match the export prices, and that it was no longer necessary to continue with exportation of zero tooth cattle.

He explained that the issue of exportation of live cattle to other countries such as South Africa was a short term arrangement.

He noted that BMC increased a Limited Time Incentive Scheme in January 2022 with the highest price rate of P42/kg for EU compliant cattle.

He also informed cattle producers that measles penalty was also reviewed and reduced from P11/kg to P1/kg from the base price for all EU detained carcasses.

He said since cattle producers had been failing to meet the requirement of 180-kilogramme carcass weight, it had been dropped to 160-kilogramme carcass weight.

He stated that a Meat Industry Regulatory Authority would be established to address the issue of having BMC as a player and a regulator at the same time.

Mr Tsogwane urged farmers to establish an abattoir in the village to cut expenses of transporting the cattle longer distances for slaughtering.

The area MP was responding to concern raised by one producer, Mr Motlhatlodi Motsaathebe who had complained that though farmers used to realise good returns through export of zero-tooth cattle, the arrangement had since stopped. Ends