06 Nov 2023

Botswana Agricultural Marketing Board (BAMB) has opened its first veterinary clinic in the country in the quest to be a one-stop shop for agricultural goods and services.

Speaking at the launch in Gaborone on Friday, BAMB board chairperson, Mr Quett Rabai, said their goal was to give farmers the opportunity to access basic essential items which often made their shopping basket.

Mr Rabai said BAMB launched BushVet, a mobile veterinary clinic, in 2019 to extend veterinary services to farmers throughout Botswana.

He said the new shop was informed by farmers’ requests and was highly used, adding that it was an expansion of their veterinary services provisions driven by the vision to be a one-stop shop for agricultural solutions.

Mr Rabai said their mandate as a marketing board was also to operate a one-stop shop for the provision of agricultural goods and services.He said all their 39 branches across Botswana stocked veterinary medicines and vaccines with qualified staff to provide services and advice.

He said BAMB’s customers expected more goods and services to be provided to them through all their outlets, and that it was through feedback that the new model shops emerged and birthed new portfolios such as apparels and camping equipment.

He added that changing their retail shops from the traditional to the modern look was also informed by the quest to meet customer needs and expectations.

As a government entity, BAMB  remained a marketing board, but were market leaders in the agricultural sector.

He said new companies within the agricultural sector benchmarked from them, and that their new outlook would encourage other players to improve their services to customers.

Mr Rabai said the expansion of services offered by BAMB would not only  benefit them, but would also create opportunities for developing partnerships through consignment agreements as well as the supply of various agriculture-related products.

The Manager of Veterinary Services, Dr Tshenolo Pebe, said the BAMB veterinary clinic would extend services to companion animals. He said the clinic had two consultation rooms and a mini surgical room.

He also said they had an admission room to monitor animals after surgery and that they would perform elective and diagnostic surgery.He added that they had two doctors and four veterinary technicians as well as being certified by BOBS for quality management.Botswana Vaccine Institute’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Andrew Madeswi, said it was important that BAMB responded to the expectations of customers, adding that pets were also closer to people and that 60 per cent of illnesses were transmitted by companion animals.

He urged the clinic management to teach people about animal welfare and health, saying people were ignorant of health issues of animals. ENDS