After handing out N$250 million to the struggling Meat Corporation of Namibia during his last mid-term budget, finance minister Iipumbu Shiimi disbursed a further N$212 to the entity last week.
Tabling the record-breaking N$100 billion 2024/2025 national budget, Shiimi announced that: “A total of N$212 million has been budgeted for Meatco, inclusive of the settlement of their contingent liabilities.”
Last year, while maintaining a hardline on parastatals relying on government handouts, Shiimi allocated an additional N$250 million to Meatco.
At the time, Shiimi said: “Regarding the stock of guarantees, we do not envisage further significant disbursement in the short term, except for an additional N$250 million guarantee in favour of Meatco during the current financial year.”
He was, however, quick to note that the situation whereby parastatals continued to rely on the government for survival could not continue unabated.
“Continuing to bail out public enterprises takes away resources that are needed for critical social investments in education, healthcare, housing, agriculture, social protection, etc. The situation at some public enterprises, thus, warrants urgent and bold actions to ensure the sustainability of these entities,” he stated at the time.
This time around, Shiimi said little about Meatco’s financial standing.
Meanwhile, Meatco’s CEO, Mwilima Mushokabanji did not respond to detailed questions sent to him last week.
The questions centred around how Meatco envisages using the resources allocated to it prudently in a bid to turn around its financial fortunes; whether Meatco considers the allocation a bailout or not, since it ought to be a self-sustaining entity; and its overall financial position.
While Meatco has maintained that it is making a profit and is out of the woods, producers and industry players say it is an entity in financial ruin and loss making.
Last August, it was reported that Meatco generated N$297 million between May and June 2023.
In May, 7 681 animals were slaughtered at Meatco abattoirs countrywide, while June figures stood at 11 379, and over 38 000 animals were slaughtered at Meatco’s slaughterhouses between January and June of that year.
On the marketing front, the total marketed volumes for January-June were 5 515 metric tonnes.
In the process, N$444 million was derived from local, regional, and international markets.
-emumbuu@nepc.com.na