12 Nov 2025

 In an effort to advance the newly launched Direct Cattle Purchase (DCP) scheme, Gumare Farmers Association chairperson, Mr Timothy Samoxa has called on the Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) to consider bringing the weighing scale to designated collection points across the Ngamiland region.

The development, he said, could benefit and motivate more farmers to supply the abattoir with sufficient animals, as they would have access to the service closer to their locations.

He relayed in an interview that the current arrangement, where cattle are only weighed at Makalamabedi quarantine, disadvantage other farmers from getting better returns from their animals because of the distance travelled. Mr Samoxa is of the view that cattle lose weight when travelling long distances in a truck. 

“Our animals do shrink when travelling long distances because they are not well fed or watered for some hours or days, and that can lead to a significant live weight loss”, he added.

By bringing the weighing scale closer to farmers, he said it could help minimise transport time, ensure proper handling, and provide access to water whenever possible, eventually reducing shrinkage. 

The farmer, who was the first from the Okavango district to sell cattle through the new scheme, said the district had three major villages being Shakawe, Gumare, and Seronga. As such, the abattoir can consider bringing the cattle weighing scale to Gumare in the meantime, he suggested. 

Gumare, he said, was strategically located, and when funds permitted, the abattoir could expand the service to other areas in the region to benefit the farming community.

Despite his concerns regarding the price of P16 per kilogram of live weight cattle, which he said was low, Mr Samoxa encouraged farmers to continue supporting BMC by consistently supplying it with cattle to help the abattoir meet market demand. By so doing, he said the abattoir could secure more lucrative markets for its animals. 

“BMC is our own entity as it is established to support us farmers and promote the interests of farmers. One of its objective is to provide us with better prices for our livestock and as such, we should supply the abattoir with sufficient animals to realise greater returns,” Mr Samoxa said and urged farmers who were against the set rate to remain calm with a hope that BMC management would listen to their plea and increase the price to P22 per kg in the long run.

He said their contribution and the role of the abattoir were crucial to the rural economy; hence, they should all do the right thing and achieve a win-win situation.

Meanwhile, BMC recently launched the new scheme in Ngamiland, a pilot project aimed at making cattle sales easier, faster, and more transparent for farmers. Through the scheme, cattle are purchased directly from farmers at approved collection points, covering transport to the quarantine and operational logistics.

During the launch, the BMC's acting CEO, Ms. Kesolofetse Tibe, indicated that they had reserved more than P25 million to purchase cattle through the scheme and pleaded with the Ngamiland farmers to adopt the scheme for their benefit. ENDS