Over 24,400 livestock producers registered with Meat Board
Following the Meat Board of Namibia’s livestock producer registration exercise in 2017, a total of 24,456 producers have been registered during the period between January and December 2017.
The exercise was in accordance with the Meat Act of 1981 governing the operations of the Board. According to the Board, awareness has been created amongst farmers through information days organised in the Karas, Hardap, Erongo and Kunene South Regions.
The Board added that awareness was also created through the Meat Board Mentorship Programme Coordinators and Marketing Officers, whose task is to educate producers on the relevance of the livestock producer registration exercise in the Northern Communal Area. In addition, advertisements were also placed in various media outlets, the Board stated.
Furthermore, the Directorate of Veterinary Services (DVS), Agricultural Production, Extension & Engineering Services (DAPEES) and Agricultural Development Centres provided assistance through their regional offices. Such assistance was convenient to the producers who registered in their respective regions.
Registrations were also carried out from the three Meat Board offices in Ongwediva, Rundu and Katima Mulilo, ensuring that a large number of producers were captured.
Meat Board of Namibia Chief Marketing Officer, Desmond Cloete, expressed the Board’s sincere appreciation to the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry (MAWF) for their immense assistance during the registration exercise and to the producers for taking time out to register.
“The idea behind re-registration is to update producers’ details on our database, like in the cases of retirements or producer deaths,” Cloete said. Through the annual producer registrations, the Meat Board also hope to determine the number of livestock owned per household across the country.
He said producers who have not yet registered are urged to do so immediately, as a producer numbers will be a prerequisite for slaughtering at an abattoir or trading at auctions.
Caption: Producers with internet access can register online at www.nammic.com.na
