21 Feb 2025

Government has embarked on a project to reverse decline in cattle population as well as improve the genetic merit of the herd using assisted reproductive technologies.

Assistant Minister of Lands and Agriculture, Dr Edwin Dikoloti told Parliament that in 2023 government purchased 140 bulls and 21 heifers of ages ranging 10 to 18 months from Texas (USA) for semen and embryo production.
He said the consignment arrived May 25th and a further 24 bulls and 68 heifers were imported from Australia in May last year for the same purpose.

Dr Dikoloti said the imported cattle had adapted well to the local conditions and nine of the imported cattle died due to various ailments, which was an acceptable level of mortality for young animals that had been subjected to stressful conditions including transportation and introduction to new environment.

He said no farmer including those from the eastern Botswana had benefitted from the semen production yet and up to date 51 108-semen straws had been produced from the imported bulls and ready for sale. Dr Dikoloti said the semen had not been supplied to farmers pending consultation on the selling price. He said the semen from the imported bulls would be accessible to farmers at affordable prices.

He said included in the targeted population were small-scale farmers in eastern Botswana and SPEDU area.  He said Sefhophe Artificial Insemination camp was conveniently placed for smallholder farmers to access AI services and to take advantage of semen from imported animals when availed.

He was responding to a question by Selebi Phikwe West MP Mr Kgoberego Nkawana who asked the minister to appraise the house on the status of bulls purchased from Texas and to state whether farmers in the eastern Botswana benefitted from semen of the bulls.  He also wanted to know whether government would make access to semen much easier for small-scale farmers such as those in SPEDU area. ENDS