Councillors, traditional leaders shun show

A DECISION by traditional leaders, councillors and agriculture extension officers to stay away from the Gibeon agriculture show held last weekend has angered the event’s organisers.

Chairperson of the Gibeon Industrial and Agriculture Show, Sophia Samuels, said despite invitations being sent to several leaders, “especially to the Witbooi clan traditional authority”, it was disappointing that the leaders had opted not to turn… Gibeon is known as a Witbooi clan area. “This is a gesture of pure non-commitment from the leaders that led to the poor attendance of almost 700 communal farmers in the vicinity of Gibeon at the show,” Samuels told The Namibian.She said the involvement of traditional and political leaders in the show would have encouraged more communal farmers to participate.Samuels said traditional leaders expected contributions, in the form of livestock, from poor communal farmers when they celebrated traditional days but did not support the farmers in return.Namibia National Farmers Union (NNFU) Project Co-ordinator, Oloff Munjanu, was impressed by the potential demonstrated by the Gibeon communal farmers.”These kind of shows in the rural areas create a platform for the communal farmers to showcase their products and to exchange ideas.Therefore communal farmers should convene in big numbers and strive for ownership of these shows,” he said.Munjanu attributed the poor attendance to “ignorance” on the part of some communal farmers and a lack of understanding of the importance of such shows.The NNFU, in conjunction with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Meat Board, donated N$3 000 for the show while Telecom Namibia pledged N$5 000.”This is a gesture of pure non-commitment from the leaders that led to the poor attendance of almost 700 communal farmers in the vicinity of Gibeon at the show,” Samuels told The Namibian.She said the involvement of traditional and political leaders in the show would have encouraged more communal farmers to participate.Samuels said traditional leaders expected contributions, in the form of livestock, from poor communal farmers when they celebrated traditional days but did not support the farmers in return.Namibia National Farmers Union (NNFU) Project Co-ordinator, Oloff Munjanu, was impressed by the potential demonstrated by the Gibeon communal farmers.”These kind of shows in the rural areas create a platform for the communal farmers to showcase their products and to exchange ideas.Therefore communal farmers should convene in big numbers and strive for ownership of these shows,” he said.Munjanu attributed the poor attendance to “ignorance” on the part of some communal farmers and a lack of understanding of the importance of such shows.The NNFU, in conjunction with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Meat Board, donated N$3 000 for the show while Telecom Namibia pledged N$5 000.