Agriculture Trade Forum meets

THE Agricultural Trade Forum (ATF) held its Annual General Meeting last week at which the new Trade Advisor at the ATF, Vivienne Katjiuongua, was introduced.

Katjiuongua and Ndiitah Nghipondoka-Robiati of the ATF Secretariat will be the main players while former Advisor Jürgen Hoffmann will retire gradually. The management of the ATF consists of representatives of the Meat Board, the Agronomic Board, NNFU, NAU, Meatco and Namib Mills.
During the meeting trade negotiations such as the SADC-EU Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA), Sacu-EFTA and negotiations with Mercosur, the Latin-American trade bloc, were discussed as well as market diversification, market access requirements and sanitary and phyto-sanitary (SPS) requirements for exports.
The ATF members heard that during the SADC-EU EPA negotiations, which took place in Swakopmund last month, the EU took note of concerns raised by the Namibian negotiators like the Most-Favoured Nation (MFN) status the EU wants. An official statement of Government in this regard is still awaited.

Mutorwa urges unity for kamatapati farmers
THE Minister of Agriculture has urged two rival farmers’ associations at Okamatapati in the Otjozondjupa Region to bury their differences.
In a ministerial statement in Parliament on Thursday, Minister John Mutorwa said some members of the Ongombe Farmers’ Association, which is affiliated to the Namibia National Farmers’ Union (NNFU), had decided to become affiliated to the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) last year.
This left a situation with two factions wanting to use Government auction pens and both asking financial support when holding auctions.
‘Despite meetings in 2008 and again in February this year to reconcile the two groups, that objective was not met, each one drew up an activity calendar when to use the auction pens. We cannot fund two associations in one place,’ Mutorwa said.
He also terminated the lease agreement for the auction pens and kraals, since there are now two factions.
Due to the dispute at Okamatapati, the Ministry now manages the facilities through its animal health technician there.
‘Using the facilities for farming events will now be done on a first-come, first-served basis and according to an approved calendar for 2009, which accommodates both groups,’ Mutorwa pointed out.