COMMERCIAL farmers contribute about N$10 million annually to the upliftment of the marketing status of livestock in the northern communal areas (NCAs) and they will advise 350 northern farmers soon.
A mentorship programme similar of the Emerging Commercial Farmers’ Support Program (ECFSP), which was offered the past few years by the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) and the Namibian National Farmers’ Union (NNFU) in the commercial farming sector, was sealed last week for northern communal areas.The mentorship programme resulted from a proposal of the 2007 Livestock Producers’ Organisation (LPO) congress when it was proposed that a special levy of N$16,45 per head of cattle and N$3,29 per small stock unit be levied by the Meat Board for the upliftment of the marketing status of animals in the NCAs. This levy was implemented on July 1 2007 and amounts annually to about N$10 million. Fourteen mentors underwent training organised by the Meat Board last week in order to advise 350 identified farmers in the NCAs with regard to their farming methods.The mentorship programme includes training on livestock production and marketing, management practices and practical demonstration of different breeding practices.’The commercial agricultural sector is confident that these voluntary contributions to especially cattle farming in the northern communal areas will contribute that farming practices in these areas will commercialise with a resulting bigger throughput at abattoirs,’ the NAU said in its latest newsletter on Friday.’The eventual goal is to let cattle farmers in these areas share in the advantages of international markets and thus the inclusion thereof in the mainstream of the economy. The commercial agricultural sector is confident that these voluntary contributions to especially cattle farming in the northern communal areas will contribute to commercialising farming practices in these areas, resulting in bigger throughput at abattoirs.’ The eventual goal is to let cattle farmers in these areas share in the advantages of international markets and thus the inclusion in the mainstream of the Namibian economy.
