EPA signature still far away, farmers

THE signing of the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) between Namibia and the European Union might still be far away, worried representatives of farming organisations heard on Thursday.

‘We got more clarity on the issue but not when this crucial agreement will be sealed and done,’ Sakkie Coetzee Executive Manager of the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) told The Namibian on Thursday after discussing the matter at the Ministry of Trade and Industry’s’ first ever Open Day. The public was invited to meet the Minister Hage Geingob, Permanent Secretary Dr Malan Lindeque and senior staff of the various Directorates. Coetzee and the NAU Manager of Commodities, Harald Marggraff together with the Manager of the Meat Board, Paul Strydom and Ndiitah Robiati-Hipondoka of the Agricultural Trade Forum (ATF) used this opportunity to get more information about the EPA negotiations. Dr Lindeque stated the talks were continuing. ‘At this stage it is impossible for Namibia to sign the EPA and negotiations might still carry on for some time.’ According to Coetzee, the Trade Ministry was aware of the negative consequences this might have on Namibia’s agricultural sector if the EPA is not signed, but the Ministry was also obliged to look at the total impact on Namibia if the EPA is indeed signed. ‘Lindeque told us that he does not foresee that the current marketing of Namibian products to the EU might be influenced by the negotiation process,’ Coetzee added.Recently Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland signed the EPA, but South Africa, Angola and Namibia decided not to do so. Namibia so far only initialed an interim EPA, which allows the continued export of Namibian meat, table grapes and fish duty free and free of tariffs. About 9 000 tons of deboned meat and over 20 000 tons of grapes are exported to EU cuntries annually.Under a permanent EPA, Namibia would stand to lose some of the infant industry protection (IIP) status it has given to local milk and pasta production. Namibia further fears that cheap grains from EU countries might be exported to Namibia, thus jeopardising local maize and wheat farmers.Trade and Industry Minster Hage Geingob had a few weeks ago declared that Namibia would only sign once all its concerns had been addressed by the EU.