‘Money down the drain’

The cancellation of this year's Boer Goat Competition at the Keetmanshoop agricultural expo has left breeders facing financial losses after months of preparing their animals for the event.The competition, a regular feature of the Agricultural, Industrial and Tourism Expo (Kaite), brings together leading goat breeders from the ǁKharas and Hardap regions, whose animals are judged on quality, health and physical appearance.Llewellyn Muenjo, the expo's agricultural co-ordinator, said the competition had been cancelled because of government restrictions imposed to contain the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak.Muenjo said many farmers had invested heavily in preparing their animals for the competition, with the intention of showcasing their livestock and taking advantage of market opportunities.“The FMD-imposed restrictions have not only prevented them from attending the expo but have also affected their cash flow. Farmers invested in getting their animals into the right condition for exhibition, so the financial implications are significant,” he said.Les Kinda, the defending Boer Goat Competition champion, said he spent up to N$40 000 preparing his animals for the expo over four months, in addition to maintaining them throughout the year.“This is money down the drain,” he said.Kinda, who farms at Gomganas in the Hardap region, had planned to retire from the competition after this year's event. He had hoped to defend his expo grand champion, senior champion and junior champion titles."What can one do? It is tragic. The organisers and breeders worked very hard, only to be thrown off track by the FMD outbreak. We just have to pray and trust in God that things will work out for the best,” he said.Ruined plansLast year, nine farmers entered more than 70 goats in the competition. This year, organisers had planned to expand the event to include other breeds.“In previous years, we only had Boer goats. We planned to add the Meatmaster and Van Rooy sheep breeds and anticipated having more than 300 animals and more than 20 breeders at the competition,” Muenjo said.The organising committee is exploring alternatives to maintain the agricultural component of the expo despite the livestock restrictions.Muenjo said negotiations with small-scale farmers in the Aussenkehr area and surrounding parts of Keetmanshoop to exhibit their products were ongoing.“We have a saying as farmers: ‘A boer maak ‘n plan (A farmer makes a plan)’. We always try to plan for the worst but pray for the best,” he said.“The good thing is that agriculture involves more than livestock. We also have crops and horticulture, so the idea is to focus on these this year,” he added.DiversificationMuenjo said the outbreak had highlighted the importance of diversifying farming operations and establishing alternative income streams.“Let us learn from this experience,” he said. “We have to introduce alternative enterprises into our farming businesses to help us avoid situations like this.”

‘Money down the drain’

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Namibian Sun 2026-10-20

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‘Money down the drain’

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Namibian Sun 2026-10-20

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