The Okahatjipara Agri Shows and Auction Society intends to change the way agricultural shows are perceived by staging a weeklong farmers’ information session.
The session, which starts on 25 April 2022, will culminate in an agricultural show and a livestock auction towards its conclusion at the end of the week. One of the event’s organisers, Mbunga Tjamuaha, told AgriToday that the marathon farmers sessions will kick off with an information day for primary school learners who have agriculture as a subject.
The learners are from selected schools in both the Otjozondjupa region and the neighbouring Omaheke region that borders the Okondjatu area. The aim is to foster the study of agriculture in both theory and practice at an early age so as to have children later consider agriculture as a viable career option.
“We want to nurture young people into everything agriculture while they are still growing. This is a good way of educating them on the importance of this vital field, as when they grow up, they will learn to appreciate the value that agriculture has,” Tjamuaha said.
The prominent businessman and equestrian in the Okondjatu area said the hosting of livestock shows has over the years lost its true meaning and purpose, as such events have merely become venues for winning show prizes, without adding any real value to farmers’ products. He noted that while shows do have prize awards as encouragement to farmers, the real objectives of taking livestock to show events should be to market them to potential buyers, and not just for the prices. “We have many different people coming to show events and viewing livestock. Someone may take your details down and call you up later with an offer on your animals that you can’t refuse. This should be the purpose of why we take animals to shows, as this is more important than the prizes,” said Tjamuaha.
He hoped that the auction at the end of the event should be a drawcard for farmers who want to sell off some of their products, and thus encouraged farmers to make use of the opportunity, saying the prices would be good, given the interest shown by farmers so far.
“Auctions like these are great opportunities to sell as you have many different farmers and buyers gathered in one place. Therefore, prices are bound to be good,” observed Tjamuaha.