Chamber of Agriculture to be created

SEVERAL organisations involved in the agricultural sector have embarked on the first steps to launch a Chamber of Agriculture.

The aim is to create an umbrella organisation through which agriculture will be represented by the private sector on a high level. A meeting was held last week and attended by top representatives of different agricultural unions, the commercial bank sector, Agribank, NamWater, the manufacturing sector and chairpersons of agricultural boards. According to the latest newsletter of the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU), this new organisation will be known as the Chamber of Agriculture of Namibia with its main aim to serve as mouthpiece of the private sector ‘to improve the performance and social justice of agriculture in Namibia’. ‘It will also serve as direct link between leaders of the private sector with Government in general, but especially with the Ministry of Agriculture. It is planned to hold meetings twice per annum with the Minister of Agriculture during which overarching agricultural matters and policy aspects will be discussed,’ the NAU newsletter said.
Initially the office of the Namibia Economic Professional Research Unit (Nepru) will serve as secretariat for this Agricultural Chamber and the different organisations which will be members are making proposals for agenda points for the first official meeting.