Namibia’s livestock farmers to benefit from new grant

Drought-hit livestock farmers in Namibia are expected to benefited from a coming European financial grant program, which will run over a period of six years worth 20 million euros.

EU Press and Information Officer Susan Lewis on Tuesday said the Namibian government and the EU will launch the program called “Support to the livestock sector in the Northern Communal Areas of Namibia” on Friday.

Lewis said the program will focus on three intervention areas, with the first zoning in on the improvement of livestock production systems and resilience to climate change.

“This is to be achieved through the promotion of livestock oriented agricultural extension, technical and animal health support services,” she said.

Another intervention aims to increase access to domestic, regional and international markets, which is expected to be achieved through the promotion of local capacity for animal slaughtering and meat processing, food safety awareness campaign and food hygiene inspection services.

Furthermore, she said the full implementation of animal disease management and eradication strategies will also be a focus of the grant.

According to FAO Namibia, the communal areas occupy about 48 percent of the total farming area of Namibia and hold approximately 62 percent of the total cattle population, 72 percent of the goats and 17 percent of the sheep, but due to the recurring droughts many communal farmers have lost their livestock. Enditem

Source: Xinhua/NewsGhana.com.gh

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