Endjala pushes Angola beef talks

Omusati governor Erginus Endjala says he is ready to facilitate talks with neighbouring Angola, which has over the years been demanding beef exports from Namibia's Northern Communal Areas (NCAs).

Speaking during the handing over ceremony of the Outapi Abattoir this week, Endjala said beef exports had failed to take off in the past, because of the lack of a proper beef value chain in the northern regions.

The growing Angolan demand for NCA beef was exacerbated by the closure of the Oshakati and Katima Mulilo abattoirs, which used to be operated by Meatco.

“Since Meatco closed its operations we have had an issue of a market. My office have been approached several times by our Angolan counterparts demanding for Namibian beef to enter into their market, but for too long we were not having facilities in the NCA to pursue this deal.

“With the opening of this abattoir, it is now an opportunity for Namibian beef to enter the Angolan market. I am ready to facilitate these negotiations,” Endjala said.

He said the handover and operationalisation of the Outapi Abattoir comes as a great relief to farmers of the catchment area.

This included farmers in the Omusati and Oshana regions, as well as those in some parts of Kunene north, Oshikoto west and the Ohangwena regions, Endjala said.

“This is because, NCA farmers in general, could not formally market their cattle for slaughter purposes for the last four years or so, due to the closure of the Oshakati and Katima Mulilo abattoirs, which was occasioned by the 2015 outbreak of foot-and-mouth-disease in the FMD protection zone of the NCA.”

Angolan meat agents also attended the Outapi event, which was officiated by the agriculture minister Alpheus !Naruseb.

From 2011, the ministry embarked on a multimillion-dollar beef value chain development project in the NCAs.

The project is aimed at developing and upgrading beef development infrastructure to serve as a marketing mechanism.

The project includes the establishment of auction kraals at Omuntele, Onyuulaye, Ompundja, Opuwo, Nepera, Lusese and Ncaute.

It also entails the upgrading of the Oshakati, Outapi and Katima Mulilo abattoirs, the construction of a new abattoir at Rundu and meat processing facilities at Bukalo and Ongwediva.

Endjala urged companies contracted to supply catering services to government institutions in the northern regions to make sure they supply beef produced by northern abattoirs, saying these regions must be able to consume what they produce.

He therefore urged the operators to share good farming practices with local farmers, in order to improve the quality of the beef to a standard where it can be consumed anywhere in the world.

!Naruseb welcomed Endjala's statements and said government has done its part by investing in the beef value chain development facilities in the NCAs, and the onus is now on operators and farmers to make sure the facilities are put to good use, for the benefit of all stakeholders.

“One of the main objectives of the beef value chain development project for the NCA is to create diversified marketing opportunities, both in the domestic and export markets, for meat originating in the NCAs, through the value chain. Farmers need to commit to produce and market quality animals, while the facility operators need to actively devise strategies to support the farmers and make it attractive for them to market their animals, by developing rewarding markets, both with local distributors and export markets in neighboring countries,” !Naruseb said.

!Naruseb said further that these facilities will not guarantee the attainment of the ultimate desired impact of improved livelihoods and standards of living for the farmers, unless there are deliberate and concerted efforts by all stakeholders involved.

Destocking

It was reported that the NCAs has roughly 1.6 million cattle, which is too much for its grazing areas.

!Naruseb said this is because NCA farmers could not formally market their livestock for slaughtering purposes for the past four years, due to the closure of the Oshakati and Katima Mulilo abattoirs.

Endjala said he would like to see the facilities used for destocking local livestock.

“I do not want these facilities to be used to slaughter or sell livestock from the other side of the veterinary cordon fence (Red Line). As a regional governor for Omusati, from time to time I will be engaging the operators to comply with a quota system. Our farmers must get their share, because it is always a problem, as the price that is given to farmers on the other side of the cordon fence is not the same as the price given to local farmers for the same quality of products,” Endjala said.

He also urged farmers to sell their livestock. Namibia National Farmers' Union (NNFU) president Jason Emvula also urged farmers to sell some of their animals, in order to reduce numbers, saying a failure to do so will result in losses due to drought, because recent rainfall was not good enough.

Emvula also advised operators to train and capacitate local farmers on good farming practices, in order to produce the best beef products.

ILENI NANDJATO