BMC to miss Norway quota on cattle shortages � Mmegi Online
Correspondent | Tuesday November 14, 2017 16:27
The article cited, references on the official-tour/inspection of the BMC Lobatse export facility by Members of Ntlo Ya Dikgosi (House of chiefs) which took place on Thursday October 26, 2017.
Owing to the implementation of its stakeholder engagement strategy, the BMC identified this section of national leadership as a critical stakeholder of the BMC, which often needs engaging on matters relating to the Commission. BMC welcomes all media reports, but would often provide actualities where they seem to have been distortedly presented - hence the basis of this correction.
In the Mmegi news-article, it is maintained by both the headline and content – that BMC has or will not fulfil its Norway Beef Export Quota. The article further refers BMC’s Executive Manager – Livestock Procurement Kenneth Makubate, as a source of this statement. After internal verification processes, BMC is guaranteed that Makubate’s comments were rather taken completely out of context, but also erroneously represented in the cited news-article. There was indeed specific mention of decreasing cattle throughput at the BMC, and thus a campaign to solicit improved cattle supplies for 2018 to grow export volumes.
BMC would like to assure our media partner, Mmegi as well as other stakeholders, that for the past four (4) years (including 2017), BMC has been fulfilling the Norway Quota; but also that this remains an incontestable intent going forward. In fact, BMC is also unrelenting on its strategy to improve export volumes to lucrative markets – hence the campaign that the 1,650tons/annum Norway Quota either be increased or classified limitless, given the positive acceptance of BMC quality beef exports to the Norwegians.
To also prepare the domestic production system in anticipation of this export-growth, BMC recently sent six (6) Botswana farmers on a knowledge-exchange tour to Norway in October 2017 for a week, to appreciate market needs and requirements. To this end BMC acknowledges the Norwegian Government, BMC’s external marketing agency GPS, and beef-producing amalgamations in Norway for supporting BMC growth and intents.
BMC therefore regrets any confusion, which Mmegi Online article may have created. (BMC)