Gaborone, Botswana: Despite its agricultural heritage, Botswana finds itself in a stark predicament, producing a mere 12% of its national milk demand and remaining heavily reliant on imports, primarily from neighbouring South Africa, to satisfy the nation’s thirst for the white stuff.
The stark figures paint a clear picture: with an annual national demand of 65 million litres, domestic milk production in the 2023–2024 financial year limped to just 7.9 million litres. A staggering 48.3 million litres were imported, effectively quenching nearly 75% of the country’s needs from beyond its borders.
Recent data from the third quarter of the current financial year (2024–2025) offers no respite. Local production crawled to a mere 2.2 million litres, dwarfed by the 38.9 million litres that flowed in from South African dairies.
Responding to inquiries, the Ministry of Lands and Agriculture laid bare the structural frailties plaguing Botswana’s local dairy industry as the primary cause of this enduring dependence.
“Key amongst the challenges is the shortage of quality dairy breeding animals, which hinders the expansion of the national dairy herd,” a senior ministry official conceded. “This is compounded by the hefty initial investment costs required to even begin dairy projects and a persistent shortage of quality dairy feeds, a problem that is only exacerbated during periods of drought. The increasingly erratic climate has further tightened the noose on feed availability, severely constraining local milk production.”
Adding to the woes, the ministry pointed to disease outbreaks in potential exporting countries, making the acquisition of superior dairy breeds an ongoing struggle. The cyclical issue of feed availability and its fluctuating cost, driven by recurrent droughts that decimate fodder supplies and inflate prices, remains a persistent thorn in the side of local producers.
However, the government is not throwing in the towel. A comprehensive dairy strategy has been formulated, aimed at injecting new life into the struggling sector. This strategy prioritises bolstering the dairy sub-sector by ensuring a consistent supply of high-quality dairy animals, encompassing both cattle and goats.
As a tangible step in this direction, ministry officials revealed that Botswana has recently imported 150 prized dairy goats from Australia to fortify the national breeding stock. These imported animals are now central to multiplication programmes, with their offspring eventually being made available to local farmers to significantly enhance domestic milk production.
To empower small-scale farmers to actively participate in the dairy industry, the government is prioritising capacity-building initiatives and improving access to superior breeding stock through dedicated multiplication farms and subsidised semen programmes. The Thuo Letlotlo programme also offers tailored support packages designed specifically for micro- and small-scale farmers eager to venture into dairy farming.
Recognising the critical role of feed as a major limiting factor, the government is actively encouraging farmers to become self-sufficient in fodder production. A national fodder strategy is currently under development to provide the necessary support for this crucial initiative. Furthermore, efforts are underway to establish a Botswana Dairy Advisory Body, a dedicated entity that will focus on streamlining marketing efforts and improving overall milk production systems.
The Ministry of Agriculture continues to implement the 2013 Dairy Strategy, which officials maintain has already yielded some notable successes, such as the importation and effective use of female sexed dairy semen, particularly by one of the country’s leading dairy farms. The existing dairy strategy is now undergoing a thorough review to ensure it remains aligned with the current challenges and emerging opportunities within the industry, officials confirmed.
The road to self-sufficiency in milk production for Botswana remains a long and challenging one. However, with a renewed focus on strategic interventions and a commitment to empowering local farmers, the hope is that the nation can gradually wean itself off its reliance on imports and cultivate a thriving domestic dairy industry.
The road to self-sufficiency in milk production for Botswana remains a long and challenging one. However, with a renewed focus on strategic interventions and a commitment to empowering local farmers, the hope is that the nation can gradually wean itself off its reliance on imports and cultivate a thriving domestic dairy industry.
