The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Etunda Feedlot and related infrastructure at Etunda Irrigation Scheme.
The Etunda Feedlot is a flagship component of the Livestock Support Programme, a N$ 400 million initiative jointly funded by the Government of the Republic of Namibia and the European Union. The program is implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform with strategic oversight from the National Planning Commission.
The construction of the one-thousand (1000) feedlot capacity will serve as a central off-take point, reducing the cost and shorten distances that communal farmers travel when transporting their cattle to Abattoirs. The feedlot is a type of animal feeding operation where livestock are confined and fed to fatten them up before slaughter. The feedlot is regarded to highly improve the conditions and market-readiness of cattle through proper feeding and veterinary care.
Speaking during the groundbreaking ceremony, the Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, Inge Zaamwani highlighted that the groundbreaking ceremony for the feedlot does not only represent the start of a construction phase, but the start of a new era for communal livestock farming in all the Northern Communal Areas (NCAs).
“With a standing capacity for 1000 cattle, the Feedlot forms an integral part of our broader vision to integrate communal farmers into Namibia`s formal livestock beef value chain, which will eventually, enable them to gain access to global markets”, she said.
The Director General for the National Planning Commission, Kaire Mbuende who was also present stated that the benefits that will be brought about by the project are immense as the feedlot will enhance the agricultural value chains which are strategic imperative for value addition in the livestock sector.
“Through this facility, farmers will now have a place where they will take their livestock for improvement in their diet, through feeding them, so that by the time the animals are ready for slaughter, they can fetch improved prices, which is beneficial to farmers. This also address the concerns raised of animals sold at below market prices to the dishearten of farmers”, he said.
Executive Member for Omusati Regional Farmers Union, Sylvanus Naunyango delivered a speech on behalf of the Namibia National Farmers Union (NNFU) where he welcomed the development highlighting that the feedlot will not only serve as a critical market linkage point, but also as a demonstration facility where communal farmers can learn, adapt, and adopt the feedlotting system.
“We imagine this infrastructure not just as a place to fatten cattle, but as a centre of knowledge, empowerment, and economic inclusion” he added.
The Etunda Feedlot exemplifies the resolve to close structural gaps that has long excluded communal farmers in the NCA from fully participating in the livestock economy. Through the feedlot, the ministry is not only creating an infrastructure but building pathways to prosperity, self-reliance, and inclusion of rural producers into the Beef value chain.
