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Meatco paid over N$175 million to farmers

  • November 28, 2019

By Hilary Mare

DESPITE the prevailing drought, The Meat Corporation of Namibia (Meatco) has announced that it has managed to farmers well over N$175 million which is above parity price.

“As is, in line with the Meatco mandate of maximising best returns for producers, it has managed to pay producers well above the South African parity price across all grades, excluding fat equalisation and weight premiums,” the corporation said last week.

The corporation said this while acknowledging that the financial difficulties experienced in the 2018/19 financial along with the prevailing drought of 2019 hindered the Meatco in many aspects and it can be agreed that 2019 was one of the toughest years for the agricultural industry.

“Meatco was there to assist farmers during this critical time of drought.

Earlier in the year, Meatco called upon its producers to remain resilient because they know their climatic conditions. Farmers, along with Meatco and the government, have had to come together as a team to ensure that producers receive improved and timely assistance to pull through the trying times,” the corporation said.

According to Livestock Procurement executive, Andre Mouton, this year brought one of the worst droughts in recent years and it is important to take a closer look at the figures to understand them.

“Meatco’s aim is to stabilise local cattle prices as much as possible and soften the decline in prices as best as it can. Despite all the challenges, Meatco strives to help Namibian producers get through these trying times, keeping in mind the future of the Namibian beef industry.

“Meatco did its best to meet the rise in demand for slaughter space.

The Meatco Windhoek Factory maintained the highest daily throughput due to the current slaughter numbers, which have never been sustained in the history of the organisation. The abattoir ran at more than 95% uptime and slaughtered most Saturdays, notwithstanding a significant reduction in the number of staff,” further explained the corporation.