The Livestock Producers Organisation (LPO) has processed applications from more than 300 farmers interested in joining the proposed sheep producer company in Namibia.
“The response from the producers has been encouraging, with 311 applications already processed and further interest continuing to come in,” says the LPO, an affiliate of the Namibia Agriculture Union, which mainly caters for the commercial farming sector.
The latest issue of the farmers union’s newsletter says in response to the strong interest received from producers, the registration period had been extended to 30 September to provide additional time to producers who had not yet registered.
“Producers interested in joining the producer-owned enterprise can contact Cirrus directly for assistance with the registration process,” the LPO says.
Cirrus Capital is a 100% Namibian-owned, broad-scoped financial services company appointed to manage the new company’s formal share offering structure and business modelling.
“Interested parties are also encouraged to attend an upcoming meeting at Mariental on 25 September, where assistance will also be available to producers who require support with the registration process,” the newsletter reads.
A total of 230 sheep farmers agreed at a meeting at Mariental on 22 July to set up a producer-owned company to gain control of the value chain, improve farm-level profitability and expand export markets.
The farmers agreed to ensure the company is open to commercial, emerging, and communal farmers.
The small-stock producers were driven to their decision by severe cost-price squeezes, drought destocking, and heavy reliance on South African live exports or single-market channels.
The farmers said previous government interventions like the Small Stock Marketing Scheme had failed to meet broad objectives of the initiatives and had been suspended.
The 2024 LPO congress tasked the organisation’s leadership to investigate active small stock farmer involvement in processing and marketing.
“More than 230 sheep farmers voted to back the producer-driven entity during a July 2026 Sheep Indaba at Mariental,” the LPO says.
The farmers’ initiative was capitalised through founder shares (priced at N$7 500 each) and economic shares to build producer equity.
The LPO urges interested commercial, communal, and emerging farmers to register with the Livestock and Livestock Products Board of Namibia with the aim of moving beyond primary production to capture processing and export margins.
“We want to reduce dependence on traditional channels by targeting regional SADC and African markets such as Angola and Zambia,” the livestock producers say.
