Choppies commits to supporting local farmers :: Mmegi Online

Choppies, the Botswana Stock Exchange-listed home-grown retailer, says it support local production as evidenced by the millions of pula it continues to pour into procuring from Batswana businesses who supply their stores across the country with produce. In an interview, Choppies CEO, Ramachandran Ottapathu said they work with suppliers from an array of businesses including farmers.

The mass grocery retailer is currently working closely with 1,800 local farmers who are actively supplying them with produce and have an additional 200 seasonal ones.

“We have active farmers who supply us with quality produce; the active ones normally supply us every two weeks,” he told BusinessMonitor. “We encourage local production and support small scale farmers and businesses whether it is dairy, manufacturing, milling, agriculture or any other sector.” Choppies’ initiative to support farmers, who are finding their feet in farming, comes after government’s bold move to ban the importation of 16 vegetables in January 2022. Since the moratorium on the importation on vegetables such as onion, butternut, tomato, watermelon, carrot, potato, cabbage and ginger, a number of Batswana have gone into farming.

Already have an active account? Log in here.

Or Sign up and get unlimited access to premium articles.