Botswana has achieved self-sufficiency in chicken meat and table egg production and is now positioning its poultry industry for regional export markets, with the sector projected to grow from P3.5 billion to P10 billion by 2030.
Minister of Lands and Agriculture Edwin Dikoloti told Parliament that years of close collaboration between government and the private sector have transformed poultry into one of Botswana’s strongest agricultural success stories, creating about 10,000 jobs across the value chain.
He said the industry’s next phase of growth will focus on expanding exports and increasing value-added production as domestic demand reaches saturation.
Dikoloti credited much of the sector’s progress to the Poultry Liaison Committee (PLC), a public-private partnership that has operated for more than 15 years. Chaired by the private sector, with the Ministry of Lands and Agriculture serving as secretariat, the committee meets monthly to address supply-chain bottlenecks and coordinate industry development.
Unlike many agricultural subsectors that continue to face fragmented value chains and inconsistent production, Botswana’s poultry industry has benefited from sustained coordination among producers, processors and government, allowing it to expand production while maintaining a stable domestic market.
National demand for poultry meat stands at approximately 50,000 tonnes annually, while consumption of table eggs is estimated at 13 million dozen. According to Dikoloti, production has exceeded both targets over the past three financial years.
Poultry meat production increased from just over 51,000 tonnes in the 2022/23 financial year to 51,400 tonnes in 2023/24, before rising to more than 52,000 tonnes in the previous financial year, comfortably surpassing domestic demand.
Table egg production has followed a similar trend. Output reached 14.6 million dozen in 2022/23 before easing slightly to 13.2 million dozen in 2023/24. Production then rebounded to nearly 14.8 million dozen in the last financial year, remaining well above the national requirement of 13 million dozen.
With local demand largely satisfied, poultry producers have increasingly shifted towards value addition to absorb surplus production. Dikoloti said processors are supplying specialised chicken cuts and other processed poultry products to quick-service restaurant chains, enabling the industry to diversify beyond the traditional fresh meat market.
The government now believes the sector is sufficiently mature to begin pursuing regional export opportunities, opening a new avenue for growth beyond Botswana’s relatively small domestic market.
Further expansion is expected to receive a boost through the Botswana Livestock Commercialisation Project (BoLCoP), a joint initiative between the Government of Botswana and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), which is scheduled to be launched in October.
The project will focus on commercialising small livestock value chains, including poultry, with the aim of improving productivity, promoting sustainable natural resource management and increasing agriculture’s contribution to the national economy.
The poultry sector’s performance comes as Botswana intensifies efforts to reduce dependence on imported food through increased domestic production. Although the country continues to import substantial quantities of cereals, vegetables and other food products, Dikoloti said the poultry industry’s success demonstrates how sustained public-private collaboration, coordinated planning and targeted investment can strengthen food security while creating jobs and expanding local industry.
