Plan to raise at least P2 billion from farmers
In wake of the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak in Botswana and the subsequent ban on the movement of cloven-hoofed animals in Zones 3b, 3c, 6b and 7, the Botswana National Beef Producers Union (BNBPU) has called on farmers to unite in the fight against FMD and future challenges.
Addressing a recent meeting with the Tati Farmers Association in Francistown, BNBPU Chairperson, Andrew Seeletso urged farmers to pull together in support of government’s efforts to combat the outbreak.
Seeletso said it was every farmer’s responsibility to take care of their livestock and to mobilise the wider farming community to disseminate information on FMD.
He revealed the union has created a Disease Control Account, where farmers and well-wishers can make financial contributions, adding they have already received pledges from international donors who want to see the country recover from the outbreak.
“We have appealed to farmers to contribute either P5, 000 or an animal each to the account. We have at least 400, 000 farmers in Botswana, which means we are capable of raising at least P2 billion,” Seeletso said.
According to the BNBPU Chairperson, the funds will be used to respond to disease outbreaks such as FMD and to invest in other areas of the beef industry that are beneficial to farmers.
Seeletso said the union is currently benchmarking against Nortura, a Norwegian agricultural cooperative that operates slaughterhouses and other meat and egg-processing plants.
Nortura is Norway’s largest food supplier, owned by about 19, 000 farmers across the country. It employs more than 6, 000 people and has an annual turnover of over US$3 billion (P39.7 billion).
“The Norwegians are assisting us to develop something similar. We therefore encourage farmers to join associations in their respective areas of farming and affiliate with the BNBPU,” he said.
Seeletso reiterated that this would only be possible if every farmer becomes a member of a recognised association.
