George Sanzila
OUTAPI – Farmers in both the Kunene and Omusati regions have lamented non-functional abattoirs and the poor state of livestock infrastructure as reasons for not gaining access to lucrative markets.
Non-operational abattoirs and dilapidated livestock quarantine facilities have been identified as some of the impediments hindering livestock producers in the Northern Communal Areas (NCAs). This came to light during the ongoing oversight visits by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Economics and Public Administration in the NCAs. The oversight
visits emanate from a petition received by the National Assembly in 2022.
The petition, which necessitated further investigations, was lodged by a civic organisation known as Lisha Empowerment and Development.
The petition calls for the urgent revival of the market for livestock in the NCAs, further imploring Parliament to intervene in what the group describes as the “underdevelopment of the livestock market in the NCAs to the point of market extinction.”
Livestock quarantine facilities intended to assist farmers in managing and marketing their livestock in the Kunene region are either non-functional, or have been totally vandalised. About three livestock quarantine camps have fallen victim to vandals, further jeopardising opportunities for farmers to sell their animals in formal markets.
The only facility still in good condition is the Ehomba Community quarantine camp, located over 100 kilometres north of Opuwo.
Despite the latter’s good condition, which has a carrying capacity of over 100 cattle, it is not being used for its primary purpose since Meatco stopped operations in the area some years ago. It is instead leased to a local businessman who runs an abattoir.
The quarantine facilities in Kunene, built by the government with assistance from the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA), were inaugurated in 2000 to help farmers in the
NCAs market their livestock and increase agricultural productivity. The facilities, which were initially operated by Meatco, stopped activities in 2014 following the loss of the South African market due to an outbreak of animal diseases. In the Omusati region, the Omutambo wo Mawe quarantine camp has equally not been operational following Meatco’s closure of its operations in 2015. The facility is over
30 000 hectares in size, divided into 31 camps, and has not carried any cattle in the NCAs for slaughter in 10 years, except for the 75 state-owned cattle held for the purpose of testing quarantined animals for FMD and other animal diseases. According to officials at the facility, three camps at the quarantine farm are in good working condition and ready to accommodate cattle for the market should Meatco decide to resume operations.
The dormancy of the facility has irked many farmers in the area, who feel that they are being deliberately sidelined in the marketing of their livestock. The lack of a grazing area, exacerbated by a large tract of fenced quarantine land, has further resulted in conflict as farmers’ animals scramble for limited grazing. There have been repeated appeals from farmers to allow them to graze their animals in the quarantine camps, particularly during droughts.
The committee was further told that the privately-run Outapi abattoir, under a joint venture between a local businessman and the Namibia Liberation Struggle Association, has also experienced disruptions in its operations since the signing of the agreement with the government in 2014. Disruptions have been as a result of the poor state of equipment, leaving farmers in the area with no lucrative market for their livestock that exceeds 2 000. The construction of the Ongwediva meat-processing plant, meant to process and add value to meat products in the area, has also stalled. Many meat suppliers now resort to sourcing meat products south of the red line.
Red line
At both meetings, farmers criticised the Veterinary Cordon Fence (VCF) policy, which they said needed to be reviewed as it was designed to favour a minority group at the expense of the majority of Namibians. The VCF is an age-old policy dating back to the German colonial period that separates northern Namibia from central and southern parts of the country with the intention of controlling infectious diseases among livestock.
The rationale behind the policy has been that it has sustained the Namibian meat industry, particularly the export of such products to the EU and other international markets. However, critics have criticised the arrangement as limiting communal farmers’ access to
lucrative domestic, regional and international markets.
Namibia has over 2.5 million cattle, with 1.2 million found in the NCAs, while the southern part of the veterinary cordon fence accounts for 1.3 million cattle. The export of NCAs cattle to international markets is, however, restricted by the VCF.
Silver lining
Following consultations with the ministry of agriculture, it became apparent that the government has started implementing an infrastructure development programme by constructing and upgrading abattoirs and meat- processing plants in Katima Mulilo, Rundu, Oshakati, Eenhana and Outapi. In the Kunene region, a contractor will soon be appointed to upgrade the Opuwo slaughterhouse and Omutambo wo Mawe quarantine farm that serves livestock farmers in the Kunene, Omusati and Oshana regions.
A representative from Meatco, Thimotheus Kativa, who also formed part of the meetings, noted that the company was in the process of resuming its operations through what is referred to as commodity-based trade, which entails buying livestock from farmers in the Omusati region and surrounding areas for quarantine in local camps before transporting them to Meatco-operated export abattoirs in Rundu and Katima Mulilo.
The nearest abattoir in Oshakati is currently leased to a private operator.
During a consultative meeting with Meatco that preceded the oversight, the company appealed for policy interventions to solve challenges it is faced with, such as a lack of working capital to carry out its operations due to a massive fall in its market share in recent years as a result of underutilisation of its abattoirs.
Meatco further revealed that farmers in the NCAs can now breathe a sigh of relief following the discovery of a lucrative market for their animals in countries such as Ghana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Gulf Cooperation countries, among others.
The committee is led by Natangwe Ithete with fellow MPs Maria Elago, Gotthard Kasuto, Yvette Araes, Johanna Kandjimi, and Jennifer van den Heever.
Drought intervention
Meanwhile, the agriculture ministry will roll out drought mitigation measures from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025 in a bid to safeguard and alleviate the impact on the livelihoods of affected communities and farmers, information minister Emma Theofelus announced.
The government spokesperson said this in a Cabinet statement issued recently, wherein the executive took a raft of decisions to face the impending and worsening drought that has its grip firmly tightened on most parts of the county.
On food assistance, “The Office of the Prime Minister [was directed] to continue with food assistance to beneficiaries who meet the set criteria, from July 2024 to 30 June 2025.”
For this, the government has set aside N$600 million.
“The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, as of May 2024, will introduce support to farmers to procure early-maturing seeds, drought-tolerant seed varieties and
fertilisers for sale at subsidised prices at Agricultural Development Centres,” Theofelus said, adding that N$25 million has been earmarked for seeds and horticulture support interventions.
The government has also provided N$100 million for the livestock support programme as part of its drought counterattack. This is to cater for subsidies for the lease of grazing, subsidies for transportation to and from grazing, and subsidies on the purchase of animal feed from 1 April 2024 to 31 March, 2025.
The sale of subsidised fodder to farmers through Agricultural Development Centres from 1 July to 31 December 2024 will be
catered for under this budget.
On the water provision front, a further N$100 million has been allocated.
“The Office of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform [are directed] to continue with the water provision programme to drought-stricken areas,” she said.
Incentives
She continues: “Cabinet approved the increase of the livestock marketing incentive for large stock units from N$500 per head to N$750 per head, up to 75 heads, and for small stock units from N$100 per head to N$150 per head, up to 375 heads.”
Cabinet also approved that the agriculture ministry introduce a programme to procure fodder and sell it at subsidised prices through the Agricultural Development Centres, with funding to be sourced from the National Disaster Emergency Fund (NEDF).
The proceeds from the sale of the fodder will be re-channelled to NEDF for the sustainability of the programme, in consultation with the ministry of finance.
*George Sanzila works for the National Assembly in the Division: Research, Information, Publications and Editorial Services*
*Additional reporting by Edward Mumbuu.