LETTERS -
| 2013-07-26‘Local’ Milk is a Pure Luxury
YOUR report in The Namibian of Thursday 18 July 2013, presented us the sad fact that economical milk production in our dry country is not possible on a sustainable basis. Thus, we can say it is a luxury, most expensive and risky and, as with Air Namibia, we should do away with it.
Milk is not scarce and its distribution is easy; competition is fierce in a free market. Many foreigners will continue competing to supply Namibia with milk – as they do now – and we will not see the price shocks because of that. The government must, as an urgent duty, provide the necessary protection for the consumer against high prices. Families need milk and they need milk at affordable prices. Putting barriers to counter the free importation of cheap milk – as proposed by the Namibian Dairy Industry – would be suicidal for our government!
Our history is evidence enough to conclude that milk farming in Namibia is a risky and unsustainable business. Therefore, we consumers have the right to ask why a farmer wants to compete in an open market if he already knows he is not and will never be competitive.
The government has to take care of the many poor and only if, and when, they are cared for, may we allow the government to take care of the few milk producers. That is a basic law for any democracy.
However, let us consider the issue of adding value to our agricultural products - milk in this context. If milk is expensive, if the costs are prohibitive to produce the basic product and sell it at competitive prices and the milk farmer nevertheless would like to go on with his business, he should investigate the possibilities to produce fine cheese and other products made from his milk, this to keep him in business in a niche market locally and internationally.
Today the world is open for business, so no one will automatically survive competition. The time to be able to close borders has irrevocably gone; we are part of the international economy. We chose to go this way and many, especially the not so well off among us are grateful for that. Namibia cannot only ‘take’, Namibia has, at times, to ‘give’ too.
Rudolfine A Seller
By E-mail
Milk is not scarce and its distribution is easy; competition is fierce in a free market. Many foreigners will continue competing to supply Namibia with milk – as they do now – and we will not see the price shocks because of that. The government must, as an urgent duty, provide the necessary protection for the consumer against high prices. Families need milk and they need milk at affordable prices. Putting barriers to counter the free importation of cheap milk – as proposed by the Namibian Dairy Industry – would be suicidal for our government!
Our history is evidence enough to conclude that milk farming in Namibia is a risky and unsustainable business. Therefore, we consumers have the right to ask why a farmer wants to compete in an open market if he already knows he is not and will never be competitive.
The government has to take care of the many poor and only if, and when, they are cared for, may we allow the government to take care of the few milk producers. That is a basic law for any democracy.
However, let us consider the issue of adding value to our agricultural products - milk in this context. If milk is expensive, if the costs are prohibitive to produce the basic product and sell it at competitive prices and the milk farmer nevertheless would like to go on with his business, he should investigate the possibilities to produce fine cheese and other products made from his milk, this to keep him in business in a niche market locally and internationally.
Today the world is open for business, so no one will automatically survive competition. The time to be able to close borders has irrevocably gone; we are part of the international economy. We chose to go this way and many, especially the not so well off among us are grateful for that. Namibia cannot only ‘take’, Namibia has, at times, to ‘give’ too.
Rudolfine A Seller
By E-mail
