A monthly wrap-up of News Worth Knowing NAMIBIA’S HORTICULTURE EXPORTS HIT N$1.8 BILLION
NAMIBIA CATTLE SLAUGHTERS INCREASE 111.3% IN Q3
Namibia’s horticulture exports have doubled in the last seven years having exported products worth N$1.77 billion for the 2022/23 financial year, a significant increase from N$674 million in 2016/17, official data reveals
Namibia recorded a 111.3% increase in the number of cattle slaughtered at export abattoirs during the third quarter of 2023 to 34,398 compared to 16,281 cattle slaughtered in the prior period, official data shows.
According to the Namibian Agronomic Board (NAB), horticulture exports amounted to 86.2 tonnes for the 2022/23 financial year compared to 41.4 tonnes in 2016, representing a prospective growth of the sector.
Data from the Meat Board shows that, during the quarter, a total of 91,154 cattle were marketed, an increase of 52.03% from 59,957 cattle marketed during the same period in 2022.
“We are therefore calling for more investors to join the developing sector, so that we can also produce enough for local consumption, especially citrus fruits. Currently, what we produce is mainly for export, which includes table grapes, dates, blueberries, tomatoes, butternuts and green peppers,” NAB Chief Executive Officer Fidelis Mwazi said.
The Meat Board Chief Executive Officer Paul Strydom said the growth in marketing was mainly driven by increased slaughtering activities at export-approved abattoirs as well as an improvement in live exports.
In addition, Mwazi said the majority of these products are high-value crops produced from the South of the country. GOVT URGES STRICT COMPLIANCE TO FUEL LICENCE REGULATIONS The Ministry of Mines and Energy has urged for the strict adherence to the regulations for wholesale and retail fuel licences amidst a rise in the illegal sale of these licences. This comes as the government department has observed a spike in wholesale and retail fuel licence sales and marketing of fuel at non-officially gazetted prices from unlicensed locations, a development which the Ministry of Mines and Energy has warned is illegal. “This regulatory oversight is governed by the Petroleum Products and Energy Act of 1990, the Petroleum Products and Energy Amendment Act of 2000, and the Petroleum Products Regulations of 2000,” Ministry of Mines and Energy Acting Executive Director Bryan Eiseb said. Eiseb clarified that, “selling fuel (petrol and diesel) from an unlicensed outlet or without the requisite licence is strictly prohibited.”
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“The ratio between live exports and slaughtering of all cattle at A-, B- & C-class abattoirs improved by 37.7%. Meanwhile, live export market shares declined and averaged 56.7%. This is a drop of 2.9% in total marketing,” he said in the board’s sector report. NAMIBIA, BOTSWANA TO SLASH ROAMING FEES IN 2024 Namibia and Botswana have agreed to slash roaming charges between the countries by April next year. This comes as the communications Ministers of both countries met in August and decided to expedite the alignment of roaming fees throughout the SADC Region. The initiative aims to streamline the establishment of the single digital market, aligning with the objectives of the CostBased Roaming Project. Minister Segokgo also explained that before the initial implementation, the joint committee created between the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) and the Botswana Communications Authority (BOCRA) is tasked with data collection and analysis as well as drafting a report with the new proposed roaming rates which is expected to be completed by December 2023.
