By:Annakleta Haikera
Kavango East and West farmers say the Namibian government has a dependency syndrome while they have all the agri-products within the country.
They were speaking on Thursday when the Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform Carl Schlettwein handed over the newly revamped Rundu abattoir to the Meat Corporation of Namibia (Meatco).
The abattoir cost the government about N$40 million in renovation and slaughter trials which started in April this year.
The abattoir has been dormant for six years.
Daniel Mahua from the Namibia Emerging Commercial Farmers Union told The Villager that Kavango and Zambezi region has a lot of potential in farming and meat production but the government always relies on foreign countries for such affordable production.
“Why should we run to foreign countries for affordable production [inside the country]? We should go back to our roots and investigate what we do wrong and perfect it. This is because we have all the resources.”
Another farmer Johannes Hausiku said the abattoir cannot be standing without the effort of the farmers who raise the cattle in the fieldfor slaughter. They should be appreciated and trained.
Hausiku added that to transport their cattle to market should also be considered because farmers need to actualise the meat production in the area.
The farmers also appealed to the Ministry to look at all other abandoned resources in the Kavango region, such as the green schemes project, arguing that the region has a lot of potential in farming and can feed the whole Namibia and foreign countries.
The construction of the N$110 million Rundu abattoir started in 2014 and was expected to be completed in 2017.
At the event, Meatco Chief Executive Officer Mushokambandji Mwilima assured the Ministry that the abattoir would bring results.
“This abattoir is in good hands. The role of an abattoir is to produce agripreneurs who are apprised by the price that those who are operating the abattoirs are paying the farmers,”Mwilima said.
Kavango East Governor Bonifatius Wakudumo urged the government to look into the road infrastructure in the inlands to help the farmers easily deliver their livestock to the abattoir.
“We appreciate and value the fact that we have a very state-of-the art abattoir, but how do we transport the animals to be slaughtered? At the end of the day, we are going to say, no, the people in the two regions cannot support the abattoir; yes, they will not support us if we don’t construct roads.”
Wakudumo further stated that Rundu abattoir should act as an educational centre and provide training opportunities to farmers to improve their livestock qualities.
Minister Schlettwein stated that the outbreak of Covid-19 and disruptions in tourism and other economic activities delayed the completion of the abattoir.
Also, financial limitations and subsequent delays prevented the timely completion of the facility and its subsequent commercial take-off.
“Farmers must have an opportunity to trade with their animals, and the best way is to round them up into high-quality slaughter-ready animals, which subsequently assure the throughput of the abattoirs. With this piece of infrastructure now being available, we have taken one major step towards contributing to our goal of food security and self-sufficiency while at the same time improving the livelihoods of farmers and their workers,” he said.
The abattoir will also export to various markets, such as Angola, Ghana and the Middle East.
The facility has a slaughter capacity of between 80 and 129 cattle per day and, in addition, small stock.