Agricultural Briefs

FanMeat to benefit more
 NAMIBIA has been the preferred supplier to Woolworths and Pick and Pay in South Africa for both beef and lamb for some time.

FanMeat to benefit more
NAMIBIA has been the preferred supplier to Woolworths and Pick and Pay in South Africa for both beef and lamb for some time.
In order for farmers to benefit from these initiatives and gain from premiums set out by local abattoirs exporting these branded products, producer specifications for participating in the respective brand assurance schemes are available from the Meat Board or the abattoirs of Brukkaros and Meatco.
‘It is crucial that producers adhere to these requirements, which do not differ much from the already applied requirements under the official FanMeat Scheme administered by the Meat Board of Namibia.
‘Producers wishing to participate in the brand assurance schemes need to apply at the mentioned abattoirs and subject themselves to audits by the Meat Board.’ FanMeat means ‘farm-assured Namibia’ and guarantees that the cattle have been raised naturally on grass on farms and could range freely. The FanMeat label also guarantees that the cattle have not been given hormones.

Rural development policy
THE Directorate of Rural Development and Co-ordination in the Ministry of Regional and Local Government has started to draft a Rural Development Policy for 2010 to 2030 as per Cabinet directive. The policy is to be completed by June 2009. The Directorate has contracted a team of consultants to help draft the policy and to ensure that it reflects a common vision of the objectives for development in rural areas.
A steering committee was established to monitor, advise and guide the formulation process, according to the latest newsletter of the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU).
A Working Group of stakeholders from the public and private sector, farming experts as well as civil society organisations involved in rural development, was established in support of this process. Preparatory activities were brought together at a five-day workshop convened by the National Planning Commission (NPC) at the end of March 2009. The Working Group, which includes the NAU, is busy finalising the draft over the next few weeks.

Brazilian beef prices plunge
BEEF and grain prices in Brazil have dropped over recent months. Demand has also plunged for Brazilian beef, coffee and soy due to reduced demand as a result of the global credit crisis.
The Brazilian government’s National Monetary Council has now approved a U$4,6 billion lifeline (about N$45 billion) of credit for its meat processing companies.
Many Brazilian abattoirs have shut down, which has caused thousands of meat cutters to be out of work. Brazil, which is one of the world’s largest meat producers, did not expect the sudden drop from the agribusiness boom over the past few years. The boom had Brazilian land prices skyrocketing and many American and Argentine investors went to Brazil to snap up farmland just before the economic meltdown.