Agra re-opens Mariental branch

LOCAL agricultural products provider Agra has revamped its branch at Mariental in the Hardap Region to the tune of N$4 million and held a grand opening ceremony at the town last week.

The bigger and more modern shop offers larger floor space, innovative shelving, modern equipment, a wider range of products, a huge parking area and loading zone and improved security for customers. ‘Agriculture provides productive employment to a large number of people and is one of the key competitive advantages we as a country have,’ said, keynote speaker Johannes !Gawaxab, MD of Old Mutual’s Africa Operations. ‘We need to embrace it, leverage it and build our sustainability on it. We should also encourage greater private investment in the sector and thereby help the country improve its supply response to higher world food prices,’ he added.!Gawaxab recently bought a farm in the Mariental area and is now also part of the farming community besides his duties at Old Mutual. According to Peter Kazmaier, CEO of Agra, it is important that Namibians support local companies so as to invest Namibian money in Namibia for re-investment in future development. He said Agra has shown good growth during the past years and opened two refurbished and extended branches and the bigger Auas Vet Med outlet in Windhoek’s Auas valley shopping mall. A new division has been created in the past year – Agra’s Professional Services Division. Agra also recently launched a new product, e-Auctions – a first in Namibia – where people can bid online on livestock, property and equipment.