At present fresh milk and Ultramel (500ml) cost an average of P2.95 and P4 in Gaborone respectively while in rural areas the prices are much higher, because of transportation costs.
Commercial manager of Clover Botswana, Henk Luwes, confirmed that there is a serious shortage of milk in the whole world, adding that Clover South Africa, their principal supplier, is running short of 78 million litres of milk every month of both the UHT Ultramel and fresh milk. However, the supply of fresh milk will remain constant. "We have made an agreement with Clover SA that the supply of fresh milk for Botswana market will be sustained unless something tragic happens," he said. He added that powdered milk and other dairy products have not been affected yet. Luwes noted that they have in the past experienced a decrease in milk supply during winter and would not predict what would happen in the next three to four months. He was also unsure whether the shortage could be due to the current drought situation in the Southern African region or high demand. Clover Botswana supplies local retailers.
