Windhoek
It was a night to remember when the glitzy and glamorous annual Meatco Producer Awards – the Oscars of the Namibian meat industry – came to town last Friday evening.
Wilhelm Gerd Dickmann from the Otjozondjupa Region walked away with the coveted title of Commercial Producer of the Year, while Job Muniaro from the Omaheke Region was crowned Communal Producer of the Year, in the company of the who’s who of the Namibian meat industry.
Excitement ran high well into the night as keynote speakers Minister of Agriculture, Water and Forestry John Mutorwa and chairperson of the Meatco Board Dr Martha Namundjebo-Tilahun, as well as special guests UK economist John Cross and Ruth Chun, the head of legal compliance at Hollard Namibia, waited with role players, stakeholders and producers for the crème de la crème of Namibian meat producers to be announced.
Muniaro was also the top regional producer in the Slaughter for Communal Farmers category for Omaheke, and Chris Muniazo emerged as the Best Producer in this category for Otjozondupa.
Another highlight for communal farmers was when husband and wife team David and Gertrud Hansen from the Kavango Cattle Ranch were announced winners in the Big Five category for slaughter.
Gam and Otjinene shared the trophy for Best Farmers Association Slaughter in the communal farming category, while Muniaro and Muniazo were also in the top five for slaughter in the communal farmers’ category.
Mutorwa emphasised that the livestock and meat industry play an indispensable role in the agricultural sector and the economy of Namibia, but expressed concern about the share of the agricultural sector to GDP, which shows a declining trend.
“While the national economy grew by 4.6 percent a year between 2000 and 2001, growth in the agricultural sector over the same period was merely 1.4 percent per annum. The overall contribution of agriculture to GDP also dropped significantly from about 7.4 percent in 1980 to just 3.2 percent in 2013.
Reasons for the decline include natural phenomena, such as droughts, bush encroachment, land degradation and low financial investment in the sector,” he remarked.
He said, as a sub-sector, the livestock sector is of critical importance, with a four percent contribution towards GDP. This is achieved mainly through 80 percent of annual production being exported.
“Government continues to work hard on removing all stumbling blocks that are currently experienced with regard to the movement and marketing of livestock and livestock products from the areas north of the Veterinary Cordon Fence,” he confirmed.