Agricultural conference gets financial backing

The upcoming Agricultural Outlook Conference recently received N$50 000 to make the event a possibility.

The conference will take place on 10 October and is hosted by the Namibian Agricultural Union. FNB Namibian supports the conference financially and they hope to grow it this year. It takes place every second year and was first started in 2012.

The main purpose of the conference is to create an opportunity for the agricultural sector in Namibia to discuss joint issues as well as to provide information to agricultural producers that can be expected in terms of the agricultural economy, prices and markets in the future.

This year’s theme is, ‘Ignite growth in Agriculture, the basis for job creation and value addition’. According the head of FNB Agri, Christo Viljoine, this is of vital importance in Namibia, especially in the light of the current economic climate, job losses and land debates.

“Agriculture in our country can and will always be one of the main drivers of our economy, if handled properly and professionally. We have a huge country which offers great potential, and ranges from farming with more ‘hardy’ animals and fruit like dates and table grapes in the south, to the North of Namibia where crops and vegetables which might need more water could and should be grown. The potential is endless and could lead to many more employment opportunities, exports and contribution to Namibia’s GDP,” Christo said.

He added that the conference this year is aimed at developing ideas to fuel growth in the agricultural sector. He said that if the private sector is not growing, no additional jobs can be created to benefit the rural economy. Thus, emphasis will be on identifying low pending fruit in the livestock, agricultural, wildlife and other sectors that will spur future growth.