N$4m in Dare to Care kitty

The Dare to Care Fund has collected about N$4 million and can already subsidise 76 000 bags of animal feed at a N$50 subsidy per bag. The agricultural sector, including the Namibia Agriculture Union (NAU), the Namibia Emerging Commercial Farmers' Union (NECFU) and the private sector have joined hands under the fund, which is administered by the NAU. The fund was started on 18 February and aims to support drought-stricken farmers. The initiative aims to subsidise the feed costs of farmers in order to help them fatten their livestock for the market, while also assisting them to maintain their core breeding herd.An important aspect of the assistance is to make sure feed is more affordable through subsidising.According to the NAU a meeting was held on Friday with all retailers to agree on the final rules for implementation. The target date for national implementation is 8 April. One of the rules agreed upon is that the subsidy will be available to all farmers where there are certified feed retail outlets, including communal, emerging commercial or commercial farmers. The NAU said the duration of the subsidy scheme is subject to the availability of funds for the Dare to Care drought programme.According to the union the subsidy will only apply to the following feed product lines: Sheep-fattening pellets, cattle-fattening feed, lucerne and game pellets (game, cattle and sheep). Furthermore, a fixed subsidy of N$50 per bag will be applicable to all approved animal feed product lines. Each voucher will have a value of N$500, which will subsidise the acquisition of 10 bags of animal feed.“The producer who wants to buy the animal feed should buy at least 10 bags of the subsidised animal feed product at the participating retailer,” said the NAU. According to the union, the subsidised animal feed will be sold in lots of 10 bags only and no returns will be allowed, while a producer will qualify for a maximum of 100 bags of subsidised feed. “It is the responsibility of the producer to be fully acquainted with the rules of the fund, before they participate in this subsidisation scheme.”Producers who want to utilise the subsidy must bring the following documents along: A copy the FANMEAT card of the producer utilising the subsidy and a copy of the ID of the person utilising the subsidy“Any transgression of the rules of the fund and/or any other transgression detected in the operation of this subsidisation scheme may be reported to the relevant authorities,” the union warned. ELLANIE SMIT

N$4m in Dare to Care kitty

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-15

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N$4m in Dare to Care kitty

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-15

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