Some local farmers are already expressing fears that the intended move by government to sell live cattle (breeding stock) to Angola is likely to undermine Botswana Meat Commission efforts to sell beef, especially from Ngamiland cattle to Angola in the long run.
The fears are premised on the fact that once Angola is able to produce enough of its own cattle from the breeding stock that it would have acquired from Botswana, its market would become self sufficient and ultimately saturated and as such there would be no need for her to import beef from other countries including Botswana because of sufficient local supplies.
Although such a situation would not occur overnight, the farmers’ fears in this regard are well founded. Economic sense dictates that once a country produces enough of its own, there would be no reason for allowing exports of the same produce lest those exports distort the local market.
Once supply surpasses demand, it has the effect of dampening commodity prices. Otherwise if the local market is not protected, it stands to be outcompeted by exports of the same commodity. Simply put, the local market could easily be killed by exports.
No country in its right senses would want that to happen to any of its industries because of the dire consequences that would follow. The effect of the death of the local industry in essence would result in the exportation of jobs which for most countries are always in short supply.
It is therefore imperative that government carefully considers its intended sale of breeding stock to Angola lest it regrets the sale when it is rather too late with devastating consequences.
For a long a time some local farmers (especially in the Ngamiland region) have not been able to sell their cattle to the BMC which sells to the lucrative EU market.
The EU market does not accept beef from cattle in Foot and Mouth Disease infested areas like Ngamiland.
News that the government and the BMC had identified Angola as a potential market for the Ngamiland beef had come as a great solace to Ngamiland cattle farmers. Ngamiland farmers were obviously relieved when they learnt that at long last a market had been identified for their beef.
We are however disturbed that even before the sale of beef to Angola has commenced, governments intends to sell breeding stock to that country. The move will no doubt undermine Botswana’s beef exports to that country in the long run.
Farmers against the move say government made the same mistake when it sold ostrich eggs offshore in the past and the buyers took advantage of that lapse and produced their own to the detriment of the local ostrich industry which eventually died.
It was that decision to sell ostrich eggs that killed Botswana ostrich export market.
We do not want the same to happen in the case of the cattle and beef industry.
Government should jealously guard against any move that has the potential to kill our beef industry.
For the aforesaid reasons, we implore the government to thoroughly introspect on its intended decision and rescind it before the beef industry suffers the same fate.
We are informed that the Minister of Agriculture Christiaan De Graaff is to address Ngamiland farmers on the issue. We just hope his intention is to tell the farmers that what government intends to do will not affect their potential market in anyway.
