Livestock dominates agric sector

SEROWE - Livestock production is reported to be dominating the agricultural sector though pastoral farming was in the past bedeviled by frequent droughts and diseases.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Botswana Meat Commission (BMC), Dr Motshudi Raborokgwe, said the livestock sub-sector contributed about 80 per cent of the agriculture’s share of Gross Domestic Product.

He said at the Sandveld Ranchers Association farmers’ field day at Xarojena ranch over the weekend that Botswana was likely to remain heavily dependent on livestock production as a source of food, income, employment and as an investment opportunity.

He mentioned the beef sector’s strong linkages with the BMC, which is entrusted with export monopoly, adding the commission was faced with challenges that include the outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD), the European Union requirements (EU) on beef sale, the age of the plant and low throughput.

BMC has the capacity to slaughter 1 200 cattle a day but he said it only managed 650, which is 54 per cent capacity utilisation, with the same cost of slaughtering 1 200 cattle. He blamed the situation on some factors, erratic arrival of cattle.

Another challenge, according to Dr Raborokgwe, was that of low weights.

“Animals are received in very poor conditions and our markets prefer cuts from animals that weigh more than 200kg,” he said.

He however said the national herd was valued at more than P2 billion. Though BMC is a business competing internationally, it is unable to recruit the best personnel in the market because of salary constraints.

“We are not able to compete with the mines and the private sector in Botswana because BMC pays government salaries leading to accountants, engineers and computer specialists departing for the mines,” he said. “We have to be prepared for competition and move from a protected industry to open competition.”

Dr Raborokgwe said citing other obstacles outside the BMC such as low productivity of the national herd, difficulties for farmers to get permits to sell to the commission and rampant FMD outbreaks. He complained about poor physical infrastructure that supports the beef industry.

“The capital costs to start livestock farming are very high, especially when utilities like water, telecommunication and electricity are not supplied,” he added.

Dr Raborokgwe termed selling to the BMC a hassle because a farmer has to coordinate transport, go through the veterinary officers and the police before accessing the commission.

“Consumers who buy our beef are worried about the welfare and environmental issues”, saying the commission has to meet their demands before they buy beef.

He however explained that the BMC had managed to increase cattle prices and had quota and duty free access to the EU market.