18 Aug 2026

Botswana’s poultry industry is under pressure from soaring feed costs, with imported raw materials accounting for up to 80 per cent of production expenses and erodingfarmers’ profits. Giving an update to Parliament on Friday, Assistant Minister of Lands and Agriculture, Mr Motsamai Motsamai said the heavy reliance on imports had driven up local poultry prices and made it difficult for domestic producers to compete with cheaper regional imports. “The heavy reliance reduced farmers’ profits and drove up local poultry prices,” Mr Motsamai told Parliament in response to questions from Shoshong MP Mr Moneedi Bagaisamang.

 Mr Motsamai said the industry relied entirely on imported soya. Maize is also imported during periods of deficit, when feed producers are allowed to import 50 per cent and must purchase 50 per cent of local produce in accordance with Chapter 43:08 of the Control of Goods Prices and Other Charges regulations. MP Bagaisamang had asked about the extent of reliance on imported feed ingredients, the impact on competitiveness, and government interventions to boost local feed production. To address the challenge, Mr Motsamai said the ministry was rolling out major strategic projects aimed at commercialising the sector.  Chief among them is the Botswana Livestock Commercialisation Project (BoLCoP), funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development, which will be launched in October. The programme seeks to transform the small livestock and poultry sectors from subsistence farming into high-growth, commercialised and export-driven industries. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is also backing the Fodder Production Strategy and the Agriculture Financing Strategy, both targeting feed security, rural incomes and reduced import reliance. Mr Motsamai said the poultry sub-sector contributed an estimated 0.2 per cent to GDP over the past five years, out of agriculture’s total 1.7 per cent contribution to national GDP.  The industry, he said also supports approximately 10 000 jobs across the poultry value chain.

“This is a major milestone as the country achieves self-sufficiency in table egg and chicken meat production,” he said.

He said government was now pushing the industry into regional markets. The country has started exporting hatching eggs and layers to neighbouring countries, with historic weekly exports of hatching eggs to Mozambique already underway. Led by major commercial players established in Botswana, the export drive is expected to

grow agriculture’s contribution to GDP from below 2 per cent to 6 per cent by 2030. ENDS