Deon Schlechter
WINDHOEK – The recently launched Dare to Care Disaster Fund made a leap towards the N$2 million mark and now stands at N$1.8 million after Agra donated N$500 000 to the fund last Friday.
The entire agricultural sector, including the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU), the Namibia Emerging Commercial Farmers Union (NECFU) and the private sector, decided to join hands under the umbrella of the Dare to Care Fund, which is administered by NAU. The fund aims to subsidise drought-stricken farmers (communal, emerging commercial and commercial).
The Dare to Care fundraising action is based on three pillars, namely a marketing action to collect funds with a target of N$10 million by the end of this month, complete transparency in the management of the fund where SGA Auditors have been appointed to do a full audit, and the implementation of the subsidy on feed for drought aid.
The most important principle is that the fund will not give any donations but will subsidise certain animal feed. The subsidies will be available to all farmers, including communal, emerging commercial and commercial in the entire country where approved retail feed suppliers are available. Four production lines will be subsidised, including whole yellow maize, sheep fattening pellets, cattle fattening feed and lucerne pellets. Any feed supply company, which is interested to be part of this action, will have to make a contribution to the fund before their products qualify for subsidy. Any retail feed supplier, which has registered the past six months at participating feed companies, will qualify to provide subsidised animal feed lines if such retailers contribute financially to the Dare to Care Fund. It is envisaged that this subsidising action will start on April 1.
“Agra believes that more farmers will be reached to benefit through this collective effort. Agra, therefore, encourages other role players to join in its gesture of goodwill to contribute to the fund. Governance is guaranteed as the fund will be audited by SGA Chartered Accountants. Agra is a proudly Namibian company and proud to be the first to pledge its monetary support to the fund,” remarked Arnold Klein, CEO of Agra Limited, at the handover ceremony.
For more information contact Erika at the NAU office.