Agriculture

Both Omaheke and Otjozondjupa regional farmers’ unions recently held their elective congresses, where new leaders were elected to spearhead and provide
strategic direction to farmers within the two regions for the next three years.

Topline Brahman and Simmentaler breeds will go under the hammer this coming Friday at the Northern Select’s much-anticipated auction at Agra Pens in Grootfontein, where some of the country’s best-kept bulls and females will be on display. 

Namibia’s livestock sector experienced an incessant month-by-month decline in cattle exports, which saw the number of exports plummeting from 22 214 heads exported in August this year to 13 899 heads exported in September.

The agricultural sector’s overall contribution to Namibia’s gross domestic product (GDP) stands at over 5%, and about 70% of the country’s population wholly depends on agriculture for employment, income and food security.

The government, through the Ministry of Finance and Public Enterprises, has appointed an interim board to look into the decelerating affairs of Meatco, the country’s largest meat processing and marketing entity.  

Namibia’s directorate of veterinary services under the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, has introduced a raft of new restrictions on the importation of pork products into the country, especially fresh frozen pork. 

The Namibian Agronomic Board (NAB) and the country’s leading agricultural solutions company AvaGro have signed a transformative agreement that will see both entities join efforts to develop the country’s banana industry in areas of research and implementation.

I must wholeheartedly applaud and take my hat off to all organisers of agricultural seminars and summits for making the effort and taking the time to create platforms and opportunities that will benefit small and large-scale farmers in the long term.

The Kavango East Regional Farmers Union (KERFU) elected Thomas Nyambe as its new chairperson during its recent elective congress that was held at Rundu. 

Potato farming in Namibia is an important occupation for the country’s food security and economic development.