Staff Reporter
WINDHOEK – All roads will from today lead to the village of Okandjira, 39 km east of Okahandja, for the second edition of the Omatako Expo which promises an unforgettable agricultural event.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, will open the glamorous show on Thursday. One of the organisers and top Van Rooy breeder, Tjivii Tjombe, says the event was established to promote local business initiatives and the marketing of ideas in Omatako Constituency.
“We have advanced in leaps and bounds in just one year and the support for the Omatako Expo 2018 has just been tremendous. The Omatako Expo has attracted the attention of big companies, small and medium enterprises and one-man/woman kapana businesses. The government believes expos give SMEs a platform to showcase their goods and services as a way of contributing to the development of the country’s economy in line with Vision 2030 objectives,” he comments.
The public can expect shows of cattle and small stock, horse matching, a farmers evening, SME talks, kapanas, live broadcasts of the World Cup football matches and heaps of fun for children. Apart from the kapanas, the MeatMa brand will again have visitors licking their lips for the popular beef grillers, hotchix and legends sausages.
Besides exhibition stalls for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), corporate companies and government ministries, the expo also features musical and cultural performances. Tjombe says livestock farming is an integral part of life for the inhabitants of Omatako Constituency like for the entire Otjizondjupa and Khomas regions. He says the gates will open every morning from 08h00 till late and the entrance fee for adults is N$20, while students will pay N$10.
Stakeholders in the livestock industry are expected to descend on farm Okandjira in big numbers to exhibit some of their finest cattle and small stock.
Top breeders like Justice Tjirimuje, Fanuel Tjivau, Nambaru Nambaru and Robert Kaumunika will be out in full force with their prized Brahmans, while in the small stock arena breeders like Tjipee Hiangoro, Tjirimuje and the Mbaisa brothers will exhibit the cream of the crop of Boer Goats. Dorpers from Unotjari Kavari, Damara sheep from Ismael Tjiueza and the two Kahiiko brothers will be another highlight while Tjombe, Ebson Tjiho and Richard Hukununa’s Van Rooy sheep will add more flavor to the menu.