Tombale says he is not against ending BMC monopoly
Boniface Keakabetse | Friday January 24, 2014 15:55
Speaking during a Kgotla meeting in Maun, Tombale said he did not fear competition. He said he has heard repeated calls from farmers who wanted another player into the local industry.
However, he said too many players might spell doom to the beef sector by flooding markets and bringing down prices. He said the cattle industry must perhaps learn from the diamond sector where monopoly has led to the country’s economic success.
Tombale said he was roped in by government as 'Mr-Fix-It' to the problems of BMC. He told the gathering that since he took over, there has been some improvements. He said that under his watch, the commission raked in more than P1 billion in profits before tax in 2013. He said this was an example that the commission could be profitable if well run.
He said there was more potential for extra profit once the BMC started exporting beef from the Francistown abattoir to the European Union (EU).
Tombale called on farmers to have toilets at cattle posts or farm premises to prevent contact between cattle and human stools, which can cause beef measles.
Ngamiland farmers expressed dismay at the low prices the BMC paid for their cattle compared to what it paid other cattle owners in the country. The farmers said the Maun abattoir paid lower prices compared to what farmers in other parts of the country get at the Francistown and Lobatse abattoirs.
The farmers said they wanted to benefit from the direct cattle purchase scheme when selling to the abattoir because currently, they organise their own transportation.
In response, Maun abattoir plant manager, Mothobi Mothobi said currently, there is low demand for Ngamiland beef because of the area’s FMD status. He said for cattle sold for direct slaughter at all the abattoirs, farmers have to foot the bill for transportation. He announced that the Maun abattoir would consider direct purchase for all cattle bound for Zimbabwe.
Meanwhile some farmers accused the government of favouritism and racism in approving cattle movement licences for export to Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
An elderly farmer, Gaditshwane Sekeletu enquired why the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) granted a certain white farmer a licence to buy and export cattle from Ngamiland to DRC while locals who had long identified the market were not given. He said local farmers are now stuck with more than 150 cattle they are unable to export.
In response DVS superintendent, Keofe Lempadi said the approval of a cattle export licence is subject to meeting certain requirements that the white farmer in question met but the local farmers did not.
Some farmers also complained about the indiscriminate killing of their cattle, which wandered into wildlife areas. Kandere Dinyando said he lost three cattle when they were shot dead by wildlife and veterinary officers after going through the buffalo fence. He said the compensation of P400 per head paid by government is very negligible compared to the costs of livestock rearing.