WELL-KNOWN karakul farmer Raimar von Hase, a former president of the NAU, was elected chairman of the Namibia Chamber of Agriculture last week.
Von Hase, who served as NAU president from 2004 to 2008, took over from Gernot Eggert, who was the first chairman.The Namibian Chamber of Agriculture was started last year to serve as mouthpiece for the private agriculture sector. The Chamber was officially introduced to Agriculture Minister John Mutorwa in April 2009. Minister Mutorwa praised this initiative of the private sector and said he was confident that the Chamber would contribute towards a sustainable policy direction in Namibia. ‘The aim of the Chamber is to give inputs on agricultural policy, national development plans and Vision 2030,’ according to the latest NAU newsletter.’It is hoped the Chamber will be able to make a contribution towards the compilation of the [national] budget for agriculture in Namibia in future.’ The Chamber consists of the two agricultural unions NAU and NNFU, which are represented by their presidents and NAU executive managers, the Agricultural Boards, represented by their chairmen and executive managers, AgriBank and the commercial banking sector, agricultural businesses and other organisations which give inputs on such high level.
