Farmers’ Unions Want North/South Meatco Divide

By: Justicia Shipena

IN a bid to revitalise the Meat Corporation of Namibia (Meatco), four prominent farmers’ unions have recommended the establishment of two independent subsidiary entities.
The proposal comes at a crucial juncture when Meatco is grappling with financial difficulties and struggles to meet its obligations to producers.
The four unions, representing various facets of the Namibian beef industry—the Namibia Agricultural Union, Namibia Farmers Union, Previously Disadvantaged Namibia Farmers Union, and Namibia Emerging Commercial Farmers Union—voiced their proposal during a meeting with the parliamentary standing committee on economics and public administration.
The central idea presented by Roelie Venter, the Executive Manager of the Namibia Agricultural Union, on behalf of all four farmer unions, is to create two independent subsidiaries.
These subsidiaries would be; Meatco Northern Communal Area (NCA) subsidiary focused on the NCA market and expansion, as well as a Meatco subsidiary south of the veterinary cordon fence.