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Emerging farmers show good stock

Justus Tjirimuje of Farm Omuserrakomba in the Okahandja district showed the Champion of Champion bulls, a brahman called Red Rock.

Justus Tjirimuje of Farm Omuserrakomba in the Okahandja district showed the Champion of Champion bulls, a brahman called Red Rock.

Agra was a significant sponsor of the 2013 Okamatapati Industrial and Agricultural Show which was organised by the Ongombe Farmers Association and hosted over six days at the Windhoek Show Grounds. This very successful event came to an end last Saturday, 27 July with the award ceremony and the crowning of the livestock champions.
In addition to making available the Agra/Bank Windhoek multipurpose conference facility for the duration of the show, Agra sponsored trophies and gift vouchers to the total value of N$5000 to the winners of the Champion of Champions Bull and the Champion of Champions Cow.
Justus Tjirimuje exhibited the champion bull, in the formof his Red Brahman bull, Red Rock, while Albert Tjihero (Jr) walked away with the prize for the Champion of Champions cow.
Agra said “As a company rooted in its people, Agra recognises the valuable contribution of the Ongombe Farmers Association to the development of the Namibian agricultural sector and commits to continuing its support of all development initiatives of this nature. Agra’s long standing commitment to adding value and developing the national industry was manifested when the company established its Professional Services Division (PSD) in 2009 with the main objective of providing a structured framework for rendering specialised services to the Namibian agricultural sector.”
These services involve targeted capacity development like post-resettlement farm management training; practical on-farm training on day-to-day farming activities and regular mentorship sessions with farmers and farm managers previously trained.
At the official opening of the show, the chairperson of the Ongombe Farmers’ Association, Mr. Alphons Vaja Zatjirua appealed to all in the livestock industry to take hands and work together in tough times. The Councillor of the Okakarara Constituency, Hon Vetaruhe Kandorozu congratulated the participants of the show for bringing their animals to Windhoek despite the current challenges and he congratulated them on the quality of their animals.
Agra said “as a responsible corporate citizen we will remain committed to advancing the agricultural industry, with. PSD set up in such a manner that communal, emerging and commercial farmers’ needs can be attended to on an equal basis. This naturally also includes promoting the agricultural sector under SME’s as a sector holding promise. Furthermore, PSD mentors support farmers through different mentorship programmes such as the Farmers Support Project (FSP). Mentorship enhances the competencies of the farmers, improve their farming practises and improve the interface between farmers and the service providers in the agricultural industry.
Dagmar Honsbein, GM of the Agra Professional Services Division said, “Through the Professional Services Division, we develop and implement strategies to grow the industry, expose farmers to viable farming alternatives, impart relevant knowledge and directly support the farmers in their strive to grow the industry.”

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