11 Nov 2026

The Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) has settled outstanding payments amounting to P8.38 million owed to Ngamiland cattle farmers who supplied livestock during the May-June 2026 buying period.

The payment, made on October 9, clears all outstanding amounts, including balances previously withheld because some farmers had not submitted their banking details.

Assistant Minister of Lands and Agriculture, Mr Motsamai Motsamai told Parliament that the payment amounted to P8,381,663 and fulfilled a commitment made by BMC to the North West District Full Council on September 17, 2026, through the acting chief executive officer and plant manager.

He explained that the delay resulted from the failure of BMC’s Lobatse plant to provide financial support it had pledged towards the Maun plant’s scheduled cattle purchases.

Although the Lobatse plant had committed to fully funding the buying programme, its ability to provide the assistance was affected by the Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak, which disrupted production and cash flow.

“During the May-June buying period, BMC purchased more than 2 500 cattle against its target of 1 000, further increasing the financial demands of the programme,” he said.

Mr Motsamai said since the introduction of the Direct Cattle Purchase (DCP) programme in Ngamiland in October 2025, BMC had generally honoured its payment commitments.

However, one of the challenges had been farmers’ failure to provide banking details when selling their cattle, making it difficult to process payments promptly, even when funds were available.

On measures to improve payment turnaround, he said financing opportunities had become limited due to the ongoing FMD outbreak, as potential lenders were assessing the risks associated with the disease before making financial commitments.

“BMC is exploring ways of replicating at the Maun abattoir a financing arrangement previously used at the Lobatse abattoir, where a financier paid farmers directly, enabling quicker payment turnaround,” he said.

Meanwhile, the FMD outbreak has affected Botswana’s access to the European Union export market in zones 11 and 13, prompting BMC to explore alternative markets.

Mr Motsamai said the commission was pursuing opportunities in Angola, Ghana, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Qatar.

He expressed confidence that securing alternative markets would help normalise payments to farmers and revive cattle and beef trade, although full recovery would take time.

He was responding to a question from Maun West Member of Parliament, Mr Caterpillar Hikuama, who sought clarification on outstanding payments to Ngamiland farmers, the constraints behind the delays and when BMC would settle the amounts owed.

Mr Hikuama also wanted to know measures being put in place to establish a reliable payment cushion to prevent recurring cash flow disruptions affecting rural livestock producers. ENDS