Meatco encourages farmers to form agricultural cooperatives
Meat processing and marketing entity, Meatco has called on farmers to form agricultural cooperatives, to intensify marketing and processing of farm products or purchase and production of farm inputs.
The entity said the main aim of establishing a cooperative is to increase member’s production and incomes by helping better link them with finance, agricultural inputs, information, and output markets. Collective action is the core resource of agricultural cooperatives.
“The Okangoho Multipurpose cooperative with over 250 members is a good example of a communal cooperative. In April, the cooperative through the Meatco Foundation hosted its first permit day at the recently refurbished crush pen,” Meatco added.
The Okangoho cooperative normally hosts an auction every second month, which translates to six auctions per year. Auctions usually attract anything between 80-200 cattle; however, the co-operative is hopeful that the number will increase to 300 because of the new facilities.
According to Meatco, cooperatives create social relations that enable individuals to achieve goals that they may not otherwise be able to achieve by themselves.
Treasurer of the cooperative, Abiud Katuutja, said the cooperative was a step in the right direction as the fruits of their unity are now tangible.
“The crush pen will improve socio-economic conditions of the community, because on auction days not only livestock owners come here, but other individuals who sell other products, so it is a welcome development,” Katuutja said.
Okangoho is a rural settlement located 46 km northeast of Okakarara at an intersection leading to places such as Otjituuo, Coblenz and Okamatapati.
