AN investment of N$250 million will be pumped into the tiny village of Witvlei for a feedlot to house up to 60 000 weaner calves for slaughtering.
Local businessman Sidney Martin, who is equally successful in the fishing industry and agriculture, will set up the feedlot with two partners from South Africa, Barney Hurwitz and Hantie Lombard, who are already involved in feedlots south of the Orange River. “It is high time Namibia gets its own feedlot instead of exporting most cattle on the hoof,” Martin told The Namibian on Tuesday.”The economic spinoffs will be substantial, as 120 jobs will be created once it runs at full capacity and a tannery is set up.”Communal farmers in the area would benefit enormously regarding fair prices for their weaners, which would be fed for several weeks at Witvlei until they reach the right weight to be slaughtered.Each year Namibia exports about 150 000 weaners to South Africa because there are no feedlots in Namibia.”If all goes well, we can take in the first calves before the end of the year,” Martin added.He would not reveal from where the finance would come, but indicated that loans would be secured.Fodder for the weaners will at first be imported from South Africa, but he said local farmers were welcome to provide fodder as well.”We hope that farmers will grab this opportunity to grow fodder for us,” Martin told The Namibian.Inspectors from the European Union this week gave the Witvlei abattoir the green light to export beef to European countries.Although not part of the EU’s economic community, Norway will be one of the first countries in Europe to import beef from Witvlei.At least two Norwegian partners have a stake in the Witvlei abattoir.Martin’s company, Witvlei Meat, acquired the dormant !Uri !Khubis abattoir at Witvlei a year ago, and slaughtering started immediately.Witvlei Meat is leasing the abattoir through a two-year lease agreement with Agribank, but the company has the right to purchase the abattoir at a later stage.The company already exports beef to South Africa.Slaughtering capacity is 120 animals a day, according to Martin, but the plan is to beef it up to 2 500 animals a month.The abattoir is already using a modern computerised tracking system imported from Norway.The tracking system gives Norwegian importers real-time information on slaughtering and available stock at the Witvlei abattoir.The beef is cut according to the specifications of Norwegian beef importers.Packages will leave the abattoir branded with their chain stores’ names.Namibia has an annual export quota of 3 200 tonnes of beef to Norway.The largest meat plant in Namibia, Meatco, is already exporting beef to that Scandinavian country, but has not managed to fill the full quota.Witvlei plans to export 1 500 tonnes a year.A British beef importer, Weddel Swift Trading, is also interested in importing meat from Witvlei.This week the Witvlei abattoir announced it would pay N$1 per kilo as a premium for each kilogramme of beef slaughtered there, but not on female animals.”It is high time Namibia gets its own feedlot instead of exporting most cattle on the hoof,” Martin told The Namibian on Tuesday.”The economic spinoffs will be substantial, as 120 jobs will be created once it runs at full capacity and a tannery is set up.”Communal farmers in the area would benefit enormously regarding fair prices for their weaners, which would be fed for several weeks at Witvlei until they reach the right weight to be slaughtered.Each year Namibia exports about 150 000 weaners to South Africa because there are no feedlots in Namibia.”If all goes well, we can take in the first calves before the end of the year,” Martin added.He would not reveal from where the finance would come, but indicated that loans would be secured.Fodder for the weaners will at first be imported from South Africa, but he said local farmers were welcome to provide fodder as well.”We hope that farmers will grab this opportunity to grow fodder for us,” Martin told The Namibian.Inspectors from the European Union this week gave the Witvlei abattoir the green light to export beef to European countries.Although not part of the EU’s economic community, Norway will be one of the first countries in Europe to import beef from Witvlei.At least two Norwegian partners have a stake in the Witvlei abattoir. Martin’s company, Witvlei Meat, acquired the dormant !Uri !Khubis abattoir at Witvlei a year ago, and slaughtering started immediately.Witvlei Meat is leasing the abattoir through a two-year lease agreement with Agribank, but the company has the right to purchase the abattoir at a later stage.The company already exports beef to South Africa.Slaughtering capacity is 120 animals a day, according to Martin, but the plan is to beef it up to 2 500 animals a month. The abattoir is already using a modern computerised tracking system imported from Norway.The tracking system gives Norwegian importers real-time information on slaughtering and available stock at the Witvlei abattoir.The beef is cut according to the specifications of Norwegian beef importers.Packages will leave the abattoir branded with their chain stores’ names.Namibia has an annual export quota of 3 200 tonnes of beef to Norway.The largest meat plant in Namibia, Meatco, is already exporting beef to that Scandinavian country, but has not managed to fill the full quota.Witvlei plans to export 1 500 tonnes a year.A British beef importer, Weddel Swift Trading, is also interested in importing meat from Witvlei.This week the Witvlei abattoir announced it would pay N$1 per kilo as a premium for each kilogramme of beef slaughtered there, but not on female animals.
