“The Botswana beef export industry is in crisis. The recent financial difficulties of the Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) have been exacerbated by temporary factors – notably
the recent drought and the outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) resulting in all
probability from cross-border contamination. But while there may well be a cyclical upturn, these cycles are occurring around a deteriorating trend. There is no reason to suppose that without fundamental change on the supply side this trend will be reversed.
That is the challenge for the forthcoming livestock study to which this short ‘demand side oriented’ paper is a precursor. The aim of the paper is to identify the specific challenges to the livestock sector that are coming from the export market. This is both to inform Government and, very importantly, to help establish the focus for the much larger livestock study.”
