BMC AIMS TO REVIVE CONTINENTAL MARKETS
NOKANENG: The Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) is actively working to revive the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) market as well as other markets within the continent, opening up new opportunities for our farmers to expand their reach and increase their exports.
The B C chief eÝecutive officer] David /sheboeng announced this during the recently held gamiland armers ield Day held in awana /win arm in the outskirts of okaneng in the "kavango District] from A«ril 5È° /his year½d edition of the event was held under the theme º indset Change in arming\ 6alue Chain Develo«ment for ood -ecurity in gamiland°»
/sheboeng said the develo«ment would not only signify a significant boost to the local economy but also highlights the «otential for growth and «ros«erity that lies ahead for the farming community° º7ith these eÝciting «ros«ects on the horiâon] the future looks bright for the farmers of gamiland°
7e are confident that by working together] and seiâing new o««ortunities] we can unlock the full «otential of our agricultural sector and build a thriving and resilient farming community that is a force to be reckoned with° /he fact that the aun abattoir cannot eÝ«ort to the E1] should not mean that it cannot contribute significantly to B tomline]» said /sheboeng°
C½s bot
e further echoed B C½s dedication to su««orting and em«owering farmers in gamiland as he said the B C aims transform the landsca«e of farming in the region° ºB C is setting its sights on gamiland as one of the «rimary «roviders of raw material for the stateoftheart value addition meat «rocessing «lant to be built in obatse° /his «resents a tremendous o««ortunity for our farmers to not only increase their «roduction but also to add value to their «roducts] creating a more sustainable and com«etitive agricultural sector in our region]» said /sheboeng°
e also said this comes off the back of the revitalisation of the B C tannery in obatse° /hese two «roects are critical to B C realising key obectives of the eriting 20222025 -trategy° or his «art] *resident okgweetsi
asisi announced that government is in the «rocess of building a stateoftheart value additional «lant at the obatse Botswana
eat Commission (B C) at a cost of *2Î0 million this financial year°
asisi noted that such a «rogressive attainment] together with Commodity Based /rade] would ensure that «astoralism in
gamiland im«roved and was incentivised to a level of attracting ¼moswang½ (bonus «ayment) during his tenure as the *resident° /he develo«ment] he said] was the ,eset
Agenda in action] noting that he had also challenged the inister of Entre«reneurshi« to ensure that ECC" brand was «atented] more so that B C had been using the harvest of slaughter from the aun abattoir to «roduce the most soughtafter ECC" canned «roducts°
º7e want B C to invest outside] hence the «lans to u«grade the «lant to meet the international standard and su««ly more «roducts as «er demand]» he added°
*resident asisi further noted that Botswana had two million cattle as com«ared to other countries such as enya with 20 million] but that Botswana was acknowledged to have the best and tasty meat in the world because the cattle industry used free range and natural farming methods] which would ensure full yavoured] lean beef of highest µuality° As such] he said B C had been eÝ«orting chilled vacuum«acked beef together with froâen beef and now the commission wanted the «lant to embrace value chain develo«ment] thus boosting «roducts and returns to benefit the farming community°
e noted that cattle in the gamiland had all the hallmarks of being branded or labelled 100 «er cent natural and organic because they «assed through a rigorous µuality assurance «rocess] which *resident asisi said was a beneficial consideration that should differentiate gami cattle from the rest in line with the relevant national cluster strategy°
º7e need to do more as a country to embrace this husbandry and «roduction system and market our beef as a distinct organic «roduct° I am gratified to have an o««ortunity to be one of those «lanting and nurturing the richly valuable seed of mindset change° It enca«sulates and embraces our ideals of food security] yoked with sustainable management of the environment]» he said° e challenged the gathering to leave the event having thoroughly eÝ«anded on the endless value chain «ossibilities] which he said all should inclusively «artake in°
/he symbiotic com«atibility of agriculture and tourism in the region] he said] should be «ackaged as the region½s com«arative advantage° B C was one of the main s«onsors of the event] «ledging in *150]000 to the course°
B C½s «ublic relations and marketing manager] -hadi inchwe said by su««orting initiatives like the gamiland armers ield Day] B C reaffirms its role as a key stakeholder in the agricultural sector and a cham«ion of enhancing valuechains in the cattle farming industry° º/he event aligns with B C½s mission to «roduce «remium meat and related «roducts sustainably for the global and local market in collaboration with all «layers within the agricultural value chain]» inchwe said°