SPYL calls for targeted agricultural intervention
The Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) has called on government to prioritise the implementation of strategic interventions in agriculture for increased youth employment, generation of domestic and foreign exchange earnings and creation of downstream agroindustries.
Speaking during the youth league’s national briefing on Friday, SPYL secretary Ephraim Nekongo stated that agriculture plays a crucial role in alleviating poverty and ensuring food security both at household and national level.
“The Swapo Party Youth League is convinced that targeted support and pragmatic implementation of strategic initiatives will make the agricultural sector robust, resilient, responsive, competitive, profitable, sustainable and fit for the future, thereby creating sustainable wealth for all Namibians,” Nekongo said.
He further called on government to prioritise local produce under its procurement programme and allow foreign products only when there is no local produce.
“Government should focus on ensuring that the Agro-Marketing and Trade Agency (AMTA) is made a central procurement point of agricultural produce in Namibia where offices, ministries, agencies and major retailers can buy from,” said Nekongo.
Additionally, Nekongo stated there is a need for improved coordination and collaboration of public institutions with organised agriculture such as farmers’ unions and the private sector to capacitate farmers. This, he said, will increase production and marketing of grain, horticulture and livestock, food security and contribution of the agricultural sector to Namibia’s economy.
Nekongo also called for public facilities to be availed and resettlement farms to be allocated for the backgrounding of weaners currently exported as live animals to support feedlot development as well as feed and fodder production schemes in Namibia.
“Regulate the exportation of live animals to secure throughput for export abattoirs and operationalise production facilities such as Meatco’s Okahandja Abattoir and Witvlei Abattoir that are currently under-utilised,” he said, adding that Namibia is renowned for its comparative advantage in the production of quality livestock and livestock products.
This, he said, has created high demand for livestock and livestock products in other countries, most notably neighbouring countries that aspire to develop their livestock and meat industries by sourcing livestock resources from Namibia for breeding and slaughtering purposes.