27 Oct 2024

Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) has successfully paid 700 farmers who were owed for their livestock, says Assistant Minister of Agriculture Mr Molebatsi Molebatsi. 

Mr Molebatsi was speaking at a kgotla meeting in Maun on Friday. 

He reassured the farming community that the government was dedicated to tackling payment delays and other issues affecting Maun abattoir.

Mr Molebatsi noted that only 11 farmers did not receive payments due to missing accounting details.

He encouraged those affected to provide necessary information, including Know Your Customer (KYC) details, to facilitate the payment process.

In a prior meeting, Minister of Entrepreneurship Mr Karabo Gare explained that the abattoir faced bottlenecks in selling meat products from cattle slaughtered in Maun, which contributed to the delays in payments to farmers.

BMC needed to sell meat first to raise revenue for these dues. 

He assured the community that funding had been secured to clear all outstanding payments, promising that all dues would be settled by October 25.

During Friday’s session, Mr Molebatsi expressed satisfaction in delivering on this promise. “We have indeed delivered the promise,” he stated. He appealed for ongoing support from the farming community for the Maun abattoir, emphasising that the government understands their challenges, such as limited market access, drought conditions, and the risks associated with quarantining livestock.

“We are working hard to secure markets outside the European Union (EU) zones,” he added, revealing plans for a significant agreement with China, which he noted offers competitive prices similar to those in the EU market.

Mr Molebatsi also urged residents of Ngamiland to leverage various government agricultural programmes aimed at mitigating the impacts of severe drought in the region. He highlighted initiatives such as Temo Letlotlo, Thuo Letlotlo, Maja-a-Ikgorosa, and Chema Chema, all designed to enhance the livelihoods of Batswana and improve food security.

Among the discussed programmes, Thuo Letlotlo includes provisions for boreholes, and he encouraged farmers to form clusters to facilitate collaborative drilling and water reticulation efforts. Individual farmers capable of covering 40 per cent of costs could also avail themselves of borehole assistance.

Addressing the challenges posed by elephants, Mr Molebatsi urged residents to organise themselves to seek government funding for electric fencing, thus protecting their crops from wildlife intrusions. 

He expressed concern over the low uptake of agricultural programmes in Ngamiland, urging residents to participate, as these initiatives were designed to enhance their quality of life. While acknowledging ongoing challenges, such as livestock diseases, drought, and human-wildlife conflict, he reiterated the government’s commitment to resolving these issues, emphasising the prioritisation of maintaining border and buffalo fences to prevent wildlife-related problems. 

He appreciated that residents relied much on agriculture and expressed optimism that some available programmes could benefit them if they could seriously use them. Ends