Staff Reporter

WINDHOEK - The Dare to Care Disaster Fund stands at N$2,2 million, which means the organisers can subsidise more than 40 000 bags of fodder already.

The entire agricultural sector, including the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU), the Namibia Emerging Commercial Farmers Union (NECFU) and the private sector has decided to join hands under the umbrella of the Dare to Care Fund which is administered by the NAU. The Fund aims to subsidise drought-stricken farmers (communal, emerging commercial and commercial). The implementation of subsidies will start early in April whilst contributions are still canvassed from all sectors in the economy. The rules of this subsidy scheme will be announced shortly. Kalahari Oost Farmers Association (FA) donated  N$50 000 last Friday and challenges all other FAs to improve on this amount.

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 March, 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 for the third leg 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 throughout the country where approved retail feed suppliers are available.

Four production lines will be subsidised, which include 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 for 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.