Botswana readies for Saudi Arabia small stock meat market

Botswana has an opportunity to penetrate the entire Middle East and North African Countries ( MENA) meat markets through the envisaged export of small stock to the Saudi Arabian market.

According to the United Nations the United Arab Emirates ( UAE) is ranked second in the global market share of goat meat imports weighing 96.12 million metric tonnes annually, largely due to good prices they offer.

Minister of Agricultural Development and Food Security, Karabo Gare told parliament during questions and answer time that at the global perspective, the primary opportunity is obviously a lucrative market.

Other opportunities include access to international trade that promotes Botswana as a country, and the chances of discovery of sale of other commodities in the Arab world following entry of small stock meat.

On the home front, this will stimulate the rearing of small stock for commercial purposes. Gare said that the sale of any commodity brings revenue to the trader and so shall be the case in the marketing of small stock to Saudi Arabia.

“There is obviously going to be increase of small stock population in the country due to availability of market, and various businesses across the value chains locally and elsewhere,” Gare said.

He cited other benefits as direct and indirect arising from spinoffs associated wi th the smal l s tock market in Saudi Arabia such as long haulage air cargo, opportunities for employment of Chefs from Botswana, advert ising business, and tourism likely to open up with the Arab world.

Gare said among other local opportunities will be unlocking of value chain in the keeping, handling, and general management of small stock for sustainable job opportunities in the country.

He said this will open opportunities for production and sale of livestock feed, local transportation businesses and livestock medical care for small stock.

Gare was answering a question from Member of Parliament for Jwaneng-Mabutsane Mephato Reatile.

The MP had asked Gare to apprise the House on the nature of the presidentially a c cl aimed agreement between Botswana and the United Arab Emirates or any such similar agreements, and in particular to state when such an agreement was signed, if any, the clear terms of the agreement and opportunities for small stock farmers, the expected benefits from the arrangement, the Ministry’s strategic position to address unemployment and poverty and if none whether it is not opportune to come up with a robust plan.

Gare said the issue of the United Arab Emirates with regard to potential market for small stock meat is an initiative that emanated from high- level bilateral talks between the country’s leadership and some business entities from the Gulf region three years ago.

The agreement between Botswana and Saudi Arabia with regards to the export of small stock meat from Botswana has not yet been signed.

However, he said preparations for the initiative have commenced and the necessary paperwork has been initiated.

Gare said that the terms of the agreement, once it is entered into force, are the tariff reductions and preferential market access of small stock meat and meat bi- products from Botswana.

The agreement also removes tariff and non- tariff barriers to trade, which will increase the competitiveness of “our small stock meat for transmission of value to local farmers”, Gare said.

In principle the agreement entails Botswana producing small stock for sale and consumption in Saudi Arabia.

The agreement recognises the trade barriers and everything that has to do with export of small stock, the price mechanism, logistics, quotas and various types of meat, exit arrangements and price dynamics, among others, the minister explained.

He said that the opportunities are both local and global. He said the bilateral agreement gives Botswana a lucrative international goat meat market.

Gare said the ministry is preparing Batswana small stock farmers through capacity building to fully participate in the small stock value chains and ensure that people are facilitated to benefit from the business opportunities that will arise from this initiative in Saudi Arabia.

He said the assumption is that the question on strategic position is with reference to marketing of small stock in Saudi Arabia only.

Otherwise, Gare said, the thrust for addressing unemployment and poverty in agriculture lies in a number of initiatives and programmes such as implementation of ERTP, and various farmer support programmes all of which are to be guided by the revised agricultural policy.

He said this is the start of things, it is not an event, and “as such a robust plan to harvest whatever opportunity from this dispensation is gradually being developed”.