STAKEHOLDERS TACKLE DECLINING NATIONAL HERD

Botswana is renowned internationally for its high quality grass-fed beef but the cattle population has been dwindling over the years with the country’s national heard currently sitting at just over two million cattle.

The situation has further been exacerbated by the COVID-19 situation with significant disruption in logistics due to restricted movement of people. Other factors that are aiding cattle the decline are poor livestock husbandry management practices, which lead to low productivity.

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Development, Fidelis Molao said very high bull/cow ratio, frequent drought due to climate change and poor livestock management coupled with low uncompetitive market are to blame for national herd decline.

This point was buttressed by His Excellency President Mokgweetsi Eric Masisi who called for urgent intervention from all players in the industry and assured continued development of the industry and associated value chains to unlock more opportunities for farmers.

“My government has been responding to these challenges in a number of ways in an effort to increase the national herd with improvements in both quality and quantity,” HE Masisi told the farmers and other stakeholders who attended the Sandveld Farmers Day.

HE Masisi revealed that the government recently adopted a Beef Cluster Strategy which identified areas of improvement that include ways of upgrading production, research and technology transfer and marketing of beef.

In a bid to improve productivity and knowledge of livestock husbandry practices in the country, the Ministry of Agriculture is implementing the Beef Productivity Training Initiative. The initiative is a result of the development cooperation with the Government of New Zealand. The programme, according to the President, trains farmers, herdsmen and extension officers.

The President further assured the farmers of the government’s commitment to creating a conducive environment through roads, electricity and telecommunication to the high production areas in order to optimise productivity in the entire agricultural sector, amongst other initiatives.

The Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency (CEDA) has also been at the forefront of the cattle population multiplication drive by investing P249.4million in the Sandveld area alone.

This investment has, according, the CEDA CEO, Thabo Thamane, resulted in a headcount of approximately 53,000 cattle across the funded farms.

“This is testament of our commitment to not only increasing the country’s livestock herd, but improving it as well, as we fund good quality breeds to ensure farm sustainability,” Thamane said to the farmers.

CEDA has further engaged mentors and business advisors to help turn around some farms, resulting in better farm management and improved balance sheets, according to the CEDA chief.