Okongo to host Omaludi Festival
The Okongo village council in Ohangwena will host its first-ever Omaludi Festival from 28 May to 2 June, where Northern Communal Areas (NCA) farmers are expected to exhibit and trade their wares.
Omaludi is the traditional way used by Aawambo to parade their cattle in front of judges, who assess them to determine the best farmers and livestock, depending on quality.
According to village council CEO Wodibo Haulofu, the festival will be an agricultural trade fair event that will also include a cattle competition.
On 28 April the village council hosted a gala dinner that raised N$370 000 for the event.
“Our main idea is to try and create an opportunity for communal farmers to gain access to the market to sell and showcase their produce. This will also be an opportunity for the roleplayers in the agriculture industry to come and exhibit and present their products to the end users,” Haulofu said.
He said the village council is just the facilitator, but the main players will be agricultural service providers, who will engage with their customers.
He said Agra, Meatco, the Agricultural Business Development Agency (Agribusdev), Agribank and the agriculture ministry are expected to participate at the Omaludi Festival.
“Apart from the cattle parade, farmers are expected to bring their agricultural produce from their fields. That is why we decided to host this event during this time, when farmers are harvesting their produce,” he said
Haulofu said the cattle competition will take place on 30 May.
Ten farmers have already registered to participate in the competition, but those who are interested are still welcome to come on board.
“This is a traditional event and there are people in communities with good experience. We will use these people as our judges. They will assess the quality of cattle to determine the winners. Judgments on cattle are ultimately based on which animal is worth the award,” he explained.
According to Haulofu, the event has support from Nikodemus Architectural Design, Agribank and the Mangetti Farmers Association. The patrons are deputy prime minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah and business moguls Leake Hangala and Sven Thieme.
“We are inviting the entire Namibia to come and witness the first-ever Omaludi Festival. We are also inviting investors to come and explore business opportunities in Okongo. If you are investing in Okongo, you are investing in the future,” he said.
ILENI NANDJATO
Omaludi is the traditional way used by Aawambo to parade their cattle in front of judges, who assess them to determine the best farmers and livestock, depending on quality.
According to village council CEO Wodibo Haulofu, the festival will be an agricultural trade fair event that will also include a cattle competition.
On 28 April the village council hosted a gala dinner that raised N$370 000 for the event.
“Our main idea is to try and create an opportunity for communal farmers to gain access to the market to sell and showcase their produce. This will also be an opportunity for the roleplayers in the agriculture industry to come and exhibit and present their products to the end users,” Haulofu said.
He said the village council is just the facilitator, but the main players will be agricultural service providers, who will engage with their customers.
He said Agra, Meatco, the Agricultural Business Development Agency (Agribusdev), Agribank and the agriculture ministry are expected to participate at the Omaludi Festival.
“Apart from the cattle parade, farmers are expected to bring their agricultural produce from their fields. That is why we decided to host this event during this time, when farmers are harvesting their produce,” he said
Haulofu said the cattle competition will take place on 30 May.
Ten farmers have already registered to participate in the competition, but those who are interested are still welcome to come on board.
“This is a traditional event and there are people in communities with good experience. We will use these people as our judges. They will assess the quality of cattle to determine the winners. Judgments on cattle are ultimately based on which animal is worth the award,” he explained.
According to Haulofu, the event has support from Nikodemus Architectural Design, Agribank and the Mangetti Farmers Association. The patrons are deputy prime minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah and business moguls Leake Hangala and Sven Thieme.
“We are inviting the entire Namibia to come and witness the first-ever Omaludi Festival. We are also inviting investors to come and explore business opportunities in Okongo. If you are investing in Okongo, you are investing in the future,” he said.
ILENI NANDJATO
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