30 Jul 2026

Botswana Meat Commission is negotiating new export deals to expand its market, including for cattle vaccinated against Foot and Mouth Disease, a senior official has said.

Speaking at a Southern District Beef Farmers Association workshop recently in Tshidilamolomo, BMC Sales and Distribution Manager, Dr Mbaakanyi Mazwiduma said the commission was leveraging bilateral relations to secure better market access for Botswana beef.

Dr Mazwiduma told farmers that even cattle vaccinated for FMD would soon have a viable market. He said negotiations were ongoing with several countries that have expressed interest in Botswana meat.

“Before the outbreak of FMD, the country had good markets and the meat was in demand. Farmers must not panic because there is a market for their cattle,” he said.

He cited Ghana as an example, noting it had placed an order for meat from Chobe sourced from vaccinated cattle in the northern part of the country.

According to Dr Mazwiduma, Angola was also open to buying Botswana beef, and Namibia has agreed to allow transit of the meat through its territory en route to Angola.

He added that Thailand and Vietnam, which previously bought meat from Chobe, had shown interest in renewing those deals.

The BMC official said the search for new markets falls under the commission’s Thuo-khumo initiative. He revealed that in the past the company recorded profits of P1.34 billion, with P7 million paid back to farmers.

The workshop was aimed at sensitising the farming community on biosecurity measures.  ENDS