Batswana can satisfy local poultry demand
Skills capacitation can help locals tap into the P1 billion worth poultry industry
Farmer and animal production consultant Omphemetse Mogorosi, will this weekend host a training workshop in Moshupa on poultry farming for farmers or anyone else interested in poultry farming. He said participants of the workshop will be drilled on the high mortality rate of poultry, poor growth and common diseases in chickens such as ascites and belly water, among others. Mogorosi, who holds a Bsc in Animal Health from BUAN, said it’s common that in winter many people lose their poultry. “It is important for farmers to be equipped with knowledge on how to avert winter losses, which might have a negative impact on their poultry businesses,” he said. He said generally, backyard broiler keepers are less knowledgeable in broiler production. “They keep these chickens for their projected profits, which on paper appear to be a fast return on paper. “With the information I will impart on the management practices of broiler production, they will be able to reach their profit margins,” he added. He explained that the worst case scenario for broiler production was in winter because that is when temperatures drop. “During this period, it is a norm that most chicken keepers pause their production and hence the market opens up,” Mogorosi said. He noted that the brooding period is critical for the survival and good feed conversion ratio. “Draft or cold environment during the brooding period would either mean high mortality, and those who survived would have poor growth. There are so many critical stages of keeping chickens, with temperatures, feeds, ventilation and bio- security being the critical factors in broiler production”. Mogorosi is an animal production farmer whose mainstay is broiler production. He is also passionate about entrepreneurship development training and business management. He pointed out that many Batswana are interested in creating sustainable farming projects in animal production but are sometimes challenged by lack of technical skills, which sets them back on their efforts. “I have noticed that a lot of Batswana are interested in farming, particularly animal production, but the pervasive lack of technical know- how to help them run animal production projects disadvantages them. “Some of them face challenges such as losing animals such as poultry on account of disease
and lack of proper care, and also lack of knowledge on feeding and so forth. But with the proper mechanisms in place, many Batswana could operate scalable and successful poultry businesses that would not only satisfy the high local demand, but also ensure that they spread their wings and make strides in the continental trade of poultry, and even go into export”. Botswana imports poultry products. However, due to global decline in poultry satisfaction, as a result of increase in production costs and the disruptions brought on by COVID- 19 lockdowns and social distancing regulations, poultry prices have gone up. This has had adverse effects on the availability of poultry products. The poultry sector in Botswana alone is estimated to be worth P1billion and employs over 5000 people. The opportunities in the poultry sector include breeding and product processing. Despite the challenges faced by those in the poultry industry, that include operational land shortage, lim
ited slaughter facilities for small- scale broiler producers, disrupted supply of feeds and market monopoly, the poultry sector in Botswana continues to grow robustly. Poultry farming has become popular among Batswana in urban and semi- urban areas because of its low production costs and quick returns. Poultry and its by- products remain a relish of choice for many, and those who dabble in this business find themselves making good money. Botswana Poultry Association chairperson Ishmael Mosinyi has indicated that chicken products have an abundant local market, but it is unfortunate that many small farmers are not able to sufficiently sustain lucrative markets.
“Most of them survive through selling house- to- house and supplying food dealers in the informal sector but since government introduced a subsidy on chicken feeds, there has been a surge in poultry farming, and this challenges all involved in this sector to improve their quality of production”.