Collaboration to promote beef farming in the southern region

The Citizens Entrepreneurship Development Agency (CEDA) and the Southern District Cattle Farmers Association (SDBFA) have formalized a strategic partnership aimed at strengthening the cattle farming industry amid adverse climatic conditions. During the Southern District Cattle Farmers Association field day, CEDA CEO Thabo Thamane highlighted the agency’s strong support to farmers over the past 20 years, funding 113 agricultural projects with a total investment of more than P35.3 million, of which P30.3 million was in cattle production. Thamane said CEDA’s strong interest in the cattle farming sub-sector led to the partnership with SDBFA. He said CEDA recognized the hardships farmers endured due to adverse weather, livestock theft and grassland fires, and therefore sought to provide more than just financial assistance.

“Today marks the official launch of our partnership,” announced Tamang, stressing the importance of this partnership in overcoming challenges. The collaboration will last for three years and will focus on organizing annual field visits, monitoring and evaluating their impact, establishing feedback mechanisms, engaging various stakeholders, developing long-term sustainability plans, and mobilizing additional resources from potential partners and sponsors.

Tamang stressed that the agreement requires CEDA and farmers in the southern region to work closely together to improve food security in Botswana. He attributed the country’s stable food security to the country’s peace, democracy, good macroeconomic management and transparency and commended the country’s leadership for these achievements. Tamang assured the agricultural community that CEDA is committed to the successful implementation of the agreement and stressed the need for strict monitoring and evaluation procedures.

Minister of Entrepreneurship Karabo Gare thanked the farmers and their sponsors for their efforts in organizing the event, which he described as an inspiration to overcome challenges and improve agricultural production standards. Gare commended the selection of Boshiwakomo Ranch as the venue for the event, noting that the ranch has the potential to become a livestock production hub and stressed the importance of the Shekan community’s contribution to agricultural activities.

Garay urged farmers to use such events to discuss performance gains, setbacks and improvements, especially in the face of demanding and volatile climatic conditions. He stressed the need to attract and retain young people in the agricultural sector to ensure agricultural continuity and highlighted government initiatives such as Temo-Letlotlo and Thuo-Letlotlo, which have improved access to capital and land.

Speaking about the recent problems in the beef industry, Gare apologized for the low number of cattle slaughtered by the Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) due to a technical malfunction at the slaughterhouse in May 2024. He assured farmers that government is working hard to restore normal operations and move up the value chain by rehabilitating and reconstructing the tannery and secondary processing plant at the Lobatse abattoir. Gare stressed government’s commitment to ensuring higher profit margins for farmers across the value chain and urged farmers to take good care of their livestock to get better returns.

“This partnership marks an important step towards strengthening the Southern Tier beef farming industry, increasing resilience to climate challenges and ensuring sustainable farming practices for future generations.”