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NCA cattle farmers earn more with increased marketing, slaughtering

2019-08-06  Staff Reporter

NCA cattle farmers earn more with increased marketing, slaughtering

Deon Schlechter

WINDHOEK - Cattle marketing north of the veterinary cordon fence showed improvement at auctions and local abattoirs from January to June this year, compared to the same period in 2018.

Producers residing in the Northern Communal Areas (NCA) have been deprived of a formal livestock market since 2015 due to the outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD). 

Ever since, NCA producers had to rely on auctions and local abattoirs to market their livestock.
According to statistics provided by the Meat Board of Namibia, the total marketing of cattle at auctions rose to 1 273, compared to 871 in 2018. 

The total income from these animals sold at eleven auctions was N$6.731 million, compared to a total of N$5.818 in 2018.

The statistics show that there was a 31.5 percent increase in cattle numbers marketed at auctions during January to June 2019 compared to the same period during 2018.

This increase is mainly attributed to the severe drought affecting the Namibian meat industry. Furthermore, it was reported that on average around 16 percent of cattle offered were not sold.

In the first six months of this year, communal farmers earned N$6.7 million by slaughtering 978  cattle at local abattoirs, compared to earning N$2.7 last year by slaughtering 885 cattle in the same period.
This translates into a 9.5 percent increase in cattle slaughtered with a significant price per head increase of around 22 percent during 2019. 

Statistics show that out of a total of 413 cattle slaughtered since February to June 2019, 151 carcasses were B grades, representing around 36 percent. 

This is a result of in-depth advisory and mentoring service that was offered by the Meat Board of Namibia mentoring services and continued by the Meat Board of Namibia marketing officers and technicians from the agricultural ministry. 


2019-08-06  Staff Reporter

Tags: Khomas
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