The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Statutory Bodies and Enterprises has expressed renewed confidence in the operational performance of the Botswana Meat Commission (BMC), following years of financial instability and governance concerns.
Appearing before the committee on Tuesday, acting chief executive Mmabosotho Tibe said the state-owned meat processor generated annual revenue of P1 billion in 2025 and posted a profit of P50 million, marking a significant turnaround after several years of losses.
The recovery follows a prolonged period of financial distress at BMC. In its audited financial statements for the year ended December 2022, the commission reported accumulated losses of more than P1.5 billion. The entity also recorded a net loss of P198 million in 2024, extending a run of losses dating back to 2021.
Tibe told legislators the 2025 financial performance signals a transition from recovery into stabilisation.
“We are expecting more going forward. We have also achieved a P50 million profit in the 2025 financial year. This marks a significant shift from recovery transition to stabilisation,” she said.
She added that BMC continues to pursue new export markets as part of efforts to diversify beyond its traditional customer base and strengthen growth prospects.
“We continue to explore new markets to diversify the existing ones. We also look at pricing as an important factor in achieving potential growth,” Tibe said.
In a development likely to restore confidence among cattle producers, Tibe said BMC ended 2025 with no outstanding payments owed to farmers — the first time this has happened in years.
She explained that the only remaining unsettled amounts relate to farmers who opted to manage their own cattle quarantines, with payments to be processed once the cattle are slaughtered.
Delayed payments have long been a source of tension between BMC and commercial cattle farmers, particularly in regions such as Ghanzi, where some producers opted to sell cattle into the Namibian market because of prolonged settlement delays. The trend affected BMC’s ability to meet export quotas in some markets.
Members of the parliamentary committee welcomed the commission’s improved performance and signs of operational recovery.
Committee member and Omphemetse Kwapa said BMC remains strategically important to the national economy, particularly given the contribution of the beef value chain to employment and export earnings.
Kwapa said farmers and the broader market would continue rebuilding confidence in BMC if the commission maintains consistency in its operations and payments.
Meanwhile, Caterpillar Hikuama acknowledged the commission’s recovery efforts but cautioned that operational weaknesses at the Maun abattoir remain a concern.
Hikuama said deficiencies at the facility could undermine the broader progress being made by the commission.
Tibe admitted that the Maun operation continues to face financial and operational challenges and remains dependent on a government subvention of approximately P23 million annually.
“However, due to current economic challenges, the subvention comes slowly, but it has not been discontinued,” she said.
She added that BMC is exploring ways to improve the operational capacity of the Maun abattoir, stressing that the facility should not negatively affect operations at the Lobatse plant, hence the continued government support.
