Namibia Agriculture Union Weekly News:8 February 2013

Namibia Agriculture Union: http://www.agrinamibia.com.na/

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: IF YOU HAVE ONE TRUE FRIEND, YOU HAVE MORE THAN YOU CAN ASK FOR – Thomas Fuller

In today’s newsletter –

·         EM held meeting with NCCI

·         Dairy producers met

·         Agronomists met amidst poor rain

·         FA and other news

       Weekly Exchange Rate

EM held meeting with NCCI

The Executive Manager of the NAU, Mr Sakkie Coetzee held a meeting with the management of the NCCI on February 5, 2013. The meeting was held following a resolution taken by the NCCI National Council about tax concessions for farmers. The president of the NCCI, Mrs Martha Namundjebo-Tilahun put this point on the Agenda of the NCCI National Council after she was the keynote speaker at the NAU Congress last year. The possible deduction of land tax for income tax purposes as well as the delays experienced with the payment of VAT was discussed and the NCCI will arrange an appointment with the Minister of Finance to discuss these matters.

Dairy producers met

With the entering of 2013 the finalisation of the milk delivery contracts between Namibia Dairies (ND) and the individual milk producers were discussed. It is important that each producer reads the contract and comments thereon before Friday, February 22, 2013. Members are encouraged to contact their managment members in case there are any enquiries. Individual dairy producers are also requested to comment / give inputs on the ND Farmers Manual before the said date.

Mr Adonis from the Municipality and the Dairy Producers Association management request producers to conclude their registrations before middle / end of March. The municipal notices were sent to all members for speedy reaction and include the form, fee structures and additional important points.

Unfortunately the dairy industry still suffers under the pressure of milk imports which are sold under the cost price in the shops, which undermines the competitiveness of the Namibian industry. Negotiations are still ongoing with the authorities to urgently get regulation for the dairy industry. Another concern is that this situation also causes the factory going into a surplus situation which will result that the quota for the dairy producers will be cut.  

Agronomists met amidst poor rain

Due to an under average rainy season coupled with very hot conditions and dry winds, the the moisture content of the soil is in a critical condition. In the eastern production areas some producers chased their cattle onto the fields in order to graze the shrivelled maize. The NAU takes with great concern note of this situation and hopes that rain will fall within the weekend in order to relieve this situation.

Groundnut producers this year doubled their plantings and even though the harvest looks good, the lack of rain might influence the crop. The Agronomic Producers Association welcomes the newly established Groundnut Association and wishes them success.

The APA management would like to congratulate Mr Sean Nicholson of the Mashare Irrigation Project outside Runde who has been nominated the 2013 irrigation Master Agronomist. The APA member meeting / Master Agronomist Day will be held on Tuesday, April 16, 2013. Further details will be given in due course and agronomist are encouraged to attend this day with the winners.  

EU briefs the civil community about development aid – correction

Following certain assertions made in the newsletter report of February 1, 2013, the EU released the following press release:

With the 10th European Development Fund's (EDF) cycle ending in 2013, the EU Delegation to Namibia has begun charting its future cooperation with Namibia under EDF11, which begins in 2014.

Addressing representatives from civil society and Chief Economist at the National Planning Commission Bertha Njembo, Head of Delegation Ambassador Raúl Fuentes Milani noted that as a development partner, the European Union (EU) now has to operate within a fast-changing international context. 

The EU's future development work globally will be guided by the Agenda for Change which aims to increase the EU's impact on poverty reduction. Resources and policy ought to focus on democracy, human rights and other aspects of good governance, as well as inclusive and sustainable growth for human development.In Namibia, EU support will be based on and synchronised with the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP4), which will run until 2017. It is foreseen that the support to be provided by the EU Delegation and by EU Member States, will be jointly programmed.

The Delegation considered it important to consult with civil society on their views regarding future programming. The consultation, held at Europe House last week, was also attended by Heads of EU Missions and EU Heads of Cooperation.

Representatives from various civil society organisations engaged in a participatory discussion on current challenges and how they can be addressed within the framework of EU programming. A main concern raised by civil society is Namibia's rating as an upper-middle income country. They noted that is not a true reflection of the socio-economic situation in Namibia, as many are wallowing in poverty. Civil society therefore indicated that future support should target the layers of society which are not in the current upward economic stream and that the education, skills and productivity of these target groups should be given priority.  The important role of the private sector and the need to link to markets was also highlighted.

They further noted that Namibia struggles with the effective implementation of programmes and that there is scope to increase transparency and accountability regarding implementation. They thus recommended that the EU supports the implementation of monitoring and evaluation programmes in Namibia.Civil society representatives also called for a more people-centred approach to development, lamenting that communities are not consulted when development programmes are designed, which also contributes to less than effective  implementation.

Another challenge raised by civil society is the fact that they spend a lot of resources to adhere to donor's requirements regarding financial accountability, and they requested a simplification of the procedures and technical support.

The Delegation and EU member states are still having discussions regarding their future programming in Namibia. Country allocations are to be announced later this year.

Power interruptions

CENORED announced the following power interruptions on February 10, 2013 from 07:00 – 19:00: Grootfontein town, Grootfontein Uitkoms & Maria Bron, Berg Aukas Otjituuo, Abenab and Maroelaboom, Berg Aukas DBC & D.W.A and Berg Aukas Okamatapati 33kv Reticulation. Power supply should be treated as live. Enquiries can be addressed to Mr Josef Ngindinwa of CENORED, Tel 081 1414644.

FA and other news

Omuramba FA is holding a meeting on February 12 at 15:00 at Kroonster. A representative from Mister Sister will be the guest speaker. For further details contact Mrs Lottering, Tel 062 571537, 081 6270149.

Witvlei FA is holding a meeting on February 13 at 15:00 at the farmer house at Witvlei. Guest speaker is the president of the NAU, Mr Derek Wright and Mr FoucheViljoen who will talk about solar power and the inclusion thereof at NamPower. For further details contact Monica Bouwer, Tel 062 570317, gmbouwer@iway.na.

Okahandja FA is holding its Annual General Meeting on February 13 at 09:00 at the farmer hall at the Reitklub, Okahandja. For further details contact Mrs Gudrun Hegen, Tel 062 503778, gudrun@otjiruse.com.

Summerdown FA is holding a member meeting on February 19 at 15:00 at the FA hall. The theme is “The way forward for Summerdown FA”. For further details contact SunetteBlaauw, Tel 062 561647, welverdiend@iway.na.

Aranos FA is holding a member meeting on February 21 at 16:00. Guest speaker is Dr Thomas Tolmay, the Hardap Veterinary who will talk about vaccination principles and group de-wormers. For further details contact Joleen Mans, Tel 081 228988, kierie@iway.na.

Maltahöhe FA is holding a meeting on March 13 at 10:00 at Farm Kachauchab of Mr Christian Otto. Guest speakers are Mr Leonard Eins of Aqua Services who talks about filter systems for farm use and Mrs von Wietersheim of Solsquare who talks about solar. For further details contact Mr Christian Otto, Tel 063 293512, 081 2269518, ottojagd@iway.na.

Westelike Khomas FA is holding a meeting on March 13 at 15:00 at the Harmonie hall. For further details contact Amanda Greeff, Tel 064 551565, luanda@iway.na.

The American Mustang taming and special training champions, Mark and Miranda Lyon are offering horsemanship and Western horse riding clinics from April 6 – 22. These clinics are offered at the Kooimasis Ranch, Helmeringhausen. For further details contact Wulf, Tel 081 2628545 or Tommy, juniorizko@hotmail.com. Information is also available on the website www.quarterhorsesnamibia.com and on Facebook www.facebook.com/Ranch.Kooimasis. Information / introduction days are also offered on the following days: on Friday afternoon, March 29 at the Quiver Tree Forest Rest Camp, Keetmanshoop. Enquiries can be addressed to Mr Visser, Tel 063 683421. On Saturday afternoon, March 30 at Farm Kameelboom, Stampriet. Enquiries can be addressed to Mr Garbers, Tel 063 272394. On Monday, April 1 at Farm Hochfels, Windhoek. Enquiries can be addressed to Mr Kiekebusch, Tel 061 232625.

The Meatco Inter Farmers Association braai competition will be held on April 12 & 13 at the school grounds of the Elnatan School, Stampriet. Artists who will entertain at the competition are the Sarel du ToitBoereorkes and Thys the Bosveldklong. Further details will be given in due course and can be obtained from Dina Kotze, ruzelle@iway.na.

The Young Farmer farmers day will be held on May 15 & 16 at Farm Nabome, Aranos of Hannes and JomarieVisagie. Further details will be given in due course and can be obtained from HannesVisagie, Tel 081 1249902 or 063 275342, jwv@mweb.com.na.

WEEKLY
Exchange Rate NAD (02-08 February 2013)
	January	EURO	USD	POUND	PULA
Saturday	2	12.068	8.845	13.886	1.101
Sunday	3	12.064	8.845	13.888	1.101
Monday	4	12.079	8.930	14.055	1.112
Tuesday	5	12.014	8.855	13.862	1.107
Wednesday	6	12.042	8.902	13.934	1.107
Thursday	7	11.956	8.935	14.026	1.115
Friday	8	11.965	8.916	14.043	1.091
Saturday to Thursday:  17:00 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) Friday:  09:400 UTC