Dairy producers meet in Gobabis
Namibia's Dairy Producers Association (DPA) recently held their annual general meeting outside Gobabis during which an amended law, which would make it possible to control milk imports, was one of the main topics of discussion.
Producers expressed the hope that the amended law will soon be discussed and approved in parliament. The milk processor, Namibia Dairies, gave producers the assurance that when this law is approved and implemented by parliament and the market situation stabilised, the 30% price reduction over the past year would be restored.
The chairman of the association, Kokkie Adriaanse, in his speech, mentioned that the entire industry has gone through a difficult time in the past year. According to him Namibia Dairies did everything in their power to make savings in-house in favour of milk producers.
They were thanked for the transparent manner in which they dealt with the matter and the good relationship between the processor, the management of the DPA and the producers.
However, through price reductions and restrictions to allow production to grow freely, producers are under pressure and these major challenges begs the question whether it is still worthwhile to continue in this industry. Adriaanse concluded that producers must stay positive and that there is a serious need to re-think costs on the farm which there is control over. Producers must also become more involved in the industry. Speakers on the day included Jompie Burger from Dairy Standard Agency. During the past two weeks he visited each dairy farm prior to the AGM to assess food safety standards. During the members' meeting he gave feedback on his findings during these visits. Alex Jenkins of Chemunique in South Africa gave a motivational talk about herd management. It was further emphasised during the discussions how important every aspect of the chain is in terms of food safety. Several producers were also awarded for their performance during a gala dinner. Dirk van Wyk was awarded the producer of the year – intensive, and Christo Strydom was awarded extensive producer. Van Wyk also received the award for lowest bacterial countdown, while Frikkie Duvenhage received the award for best quality milk delivered. The award for most accurate milk production forecast went to Christo Lottering.
STAFF REPORTER
Producers expressed the hope that the amended law will soon be discussed and approved in parliament. The milk processor, Namibia Dairies, gave producers the assurance that when this law is approved and implemented by parliament and the market situation stabilised, the 30% price reduction over the past year would be restored.
The chairman of the association, Kokkie Adriaanse, in his speech, mentioned that the entire industry has gone through a difficult time in the past year. According to him Namibia Dairies did everything in their power to make savings in-house in favour of milk producers.
They were thanked for the transparent manner in which they dealt with the matter and the good relationship between the processor, the management of the DPA and the producers.
However, through price reductions and restrictions to allow production to grow freely, producers are under pressure and these major challenges begs the question whether it is still worthwhile to continue in this industry. Adriaanse concluded that producers must stay positive and that there is a serious need to re-think costs on the farm which there is control over. Producers must also become more involved in the industry. Speakers on the day included Jompie Burger from Dairy Standard Agency. During the past two weeks he visited each dairy farm prior to the AGM to assess food safety standards. During the members' meeting he gave feedback on his findings during these visits. Alex Jenkins of Chemunique in South Africa gave a motivational talk about herd management. It was further emphasised during the discussions how important every aspect of the chain is in terms of food safety. Several producers were also awarded for their performance during a gala dinner. Dirk van Wyk was awarded the producer of the year – intensive, and Christo Strydom was awarded extensive producer. Van Wyk also received the award for lowest bacterial countdown, while Frikkie Duvenhage received the award for best quality milk delivered. The award for most accurate milk production forecast went to Christo Lottering.
STAFF REPORTER
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