THE Meat Corporation of Namibia (Meatco)’s mobile slaughter unit at Mutambo Ribebe quarantine camp in the Kavango West region has proven to be a major success.
The quarantine camp is about 50 kilometres west of Rundu and the mobile unit started operations there on 18 August.
Following its success, it could soon be moved to the Kunene region.
Meatco’s manager for corporate affairs, Rosa Hamukuaja-Thobias last week said business has been going well at the mobile slaughter unit.
She said that so far, a total of 95 cattle had been slaughtered for the local market since the mobile slaughter unit was introduced last month.
A total of 33 cattle were slaughtered during the period 18 to 20 August, while 62 cattle were slaughtered during the period from 6 to 10 September 2016.
With six workers employed at the unit, Meatco aims to slaughter at least 25 cattle per day, according to Thobias.
“Meatco plans to move the unit to the Kunene region, depending on the number of cattle available for slaughter. We anticipate that slaughter will still be done at Mutambo Ribebe for the next two months,” she said. Meatco announced earlier this year that it will no longer operate abattoirs at Oshakati in the Oshana region and Katima Mulilo in the Zambezi region, after experiencing operational losses of close to N$43 million during the 2014/2015 financial year.
The company also did not renew its agreement with the ministry of agriculture to operate these abattoirs but introduced the mobile slaughter unit to take slaughtering services closer to farmers in the northern communal areas.
Thobias noted that the company is also planning to move the unit to Bravo Gate in the Tsumeb area by the end of October, where it will be stationed until December.
– Nampa.
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