RUNDU - The Chairperson of the Kavango East Regional Farmers Union Adolf Muremi says government must prioritise the completion of the Rundu abattoir to help them destock their cattle herds to prevent losses from the drought.

Farmers in the region are currently finding it hard to lessen the number of their livestock because not many cattle are being bought up from their kraals due to logistics.

Muremi was speaking on behalf of the Kavango East Farmers Union yesterday during a meeting with Vice-President Nangolo Mbumba who is currently visiting the region.

According to Muremi, the region has about 900 cattle that are in line to be slaughtered at the mobile abattoir and the list of farmers is long. Some farmers have lost hope their livestock will make it to the market for slaughter this year because the mobile abattoir is very small and only able to slaughter about 90 cattle per month, hence their request for the completion of the Rundu abattoir that willl help them destock.

“To start with we have heard our President of the Republic of Namibia declare the drought an emergency issue countrywide, so with that in mind there is a lot of things that were put in place to alleviate the drought. The concerns and challenges that we’re going to share with you Your Excellency are also challenges that might alleviate the issue of drought here in Kavango and Namibia at large,” he said

“When we talk of the abattoir, since Meatco moved out of the abattoirs of Oshakati and Katima Mulilo the region started facing challenge of where to actually take our livestock. The mobile abattoir came in but it cannot address the farmers’ needs,” he briefed the VP.

.”We have limited areas – we have heard the call of the government that due to this drought we have to destock, but in Kavango we destock and take the cattle where? But many farmers really want to sell in order to lessen the number of cattle before they are affected by the drought,” he added.