Bravo, at last, a farmer with courage and knowledge to speak out against the lack of actions of Meatco in the NCA.
It was with astonishment that I read the letter in the Republikein of 15 June 2007. I, although a farmer in the commercial area, have many farming business interests in the Oshikoto Region.
Please give me the opportunity to highlight a few facts about the lack of action of Meatco in the NCA.
Absence of leadership in NCA: Meatco tries to operate a multi million-dollar business in the NCA with their senior manager, Mr Breytenbach permanently based in Windhoek. In their response Meatco tries to defend the fact that Mr Breytenbach is actually running the Windhoek abattoir, which must be in itself a demanding full time job. Why not add the responsibilities of Windhoek abattoir to the manager of Okahandja. What a joke! The NCA needs to get the attention it deserves.
Lack of support for Meatco system in NCA: Mr Breytenbach, your comment ‘doen besigheid met jou diere kultuur” is an insult to farmers in the NCA. Let me tell you, we have more business sense than you think. Many of the farmers are shop owners with good business sense and many of us have business interests in both the communal as well as the commercial farming sector. The problem of us not supporting Meatco is rather an issue of not trusting your company due to bad experiences and a lack of understanding your system. I fully support the farmer; you would not get one of my cattle at your abattoir if I do not understand the process to the last detail.
Training of farmers in NCA: Although you regard your main function as procurement and the slaughter of cattle, how on earth do you think a farmer without the correct farming practices will or can deliver cattle at your abattoir meeting all the criteria and standards? I also attended some of the training sessions of the mentors in the OLDEP project; it was nothing short of brilliant! Please get those farmers to come and do your training. I have benefited a tremendous amount by attending those training courses.
Meatco, if you want support, take the responsibility and start training the farmers. Don’t wait for extension services; they already have too much hay on their forks. According to your article in Republikein 28 May 2007, Meatco has budgeted more than N$3.5 million for training and communication in the NCA. Why are we waiting, Mr Breytenbach?
Lack of action after the marketing conference in 2006: As you said it yourself in your response to the writer’s question, you had all the role players together at the conference. A clear message was given to you of what is needed in terms of training. And what happened? Almost nothing!
The farmer asked you directly to publish the dates and venues of the training sessions you said to have had in the Oshikoto, Omusati, Oshana and Ohangwena regions. Your response was laughable. Let me tell you straight: Meatco did not have any official farmers’ training sessions in any of the above regions after the marketing conference in 2006.
Total absence of procurement officers in the regions: Mr Breytenbach, I do not know what the work schedule of your procurement officers is, but what I can tell you for sure is that they do not reach the farmers. Nobody from your organization has ever in the 12 years that I am actively farming in the Oshikoto Region visited my village to give me any information about Meatco and their operations or plans.
The first and only people to actively work in the communities with livestock related issues were the mentors from the OLDEP programme.
Get your procurement officers out of their offices and in the veld, the sooner the better! The farmers will not be running to you, you have to reach out to them. It’s not the commercial farmers you are working with; you have to earn our trust first.
Absence of a director out of NCA on Meatco Board of Directors: Due to my farming interests south of the red line, I am familiar with two members of your board of directors – Mr Ami Gressmann and Mr Albert Tjihero. Both these gentlemen are well-established farmers in the commercial areas. What bothers me a lot is the fact that the leading figures in the Herero farming community are surely light years away from the problems, conditions and challenges facing the northern communal farmer. How can Meatco not have someone on the board of directors representing the NCA from within the northern communal regions with the necessary support from farmers at grass-roots level? Surely, such a director can play a major role in changing negative perceptions towards Meatco. Do you want to tell me there is nobody living in the NCA with the credentials to fill that seat with enthusiasm?
Mr Gressmann, your current chairman of the board has publicly stated on a farmers’ day in the commercial area in 2005 where I was present that the problem with the NCA is that the farmers do not want to sell their cattle. Well Mr Gressmann, I have news for you, the communal farmers want to sell. It is just the way Meatco conducts their business that is preventing us from selling.
I am just wondering that if the chairman of the board of directors is that negative about the NCA what effort, drive and backing will be forthcoming in supporting farmers in the NCA?
Thank you, I think it is very important to discuss these issues through the media to bring to light the lack of action by Meatco in the NCA. For too long now, communal farmers have taken the blame for the marketing system not working in the NCA.
Another Very Concerned Communal Farmer