Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro
15 May 2008
Windhoek — The Omaheke Region's communal farming community and livestock buyers have agreed that livestock purchasers continue to buy animals at auctions under new auctioneers, Hammer and Tongue.
Buyers on Monday met the farming community represented by Omaheke traditional leaders, farmers' associations as well as the steering committee established on April 24 to spearhead the search for new auctioneers following Agra and Karoo's withdrawal from buying livestock at auctions in the Omaheke communal areas.
The farming community has been accusing the buyers of unfair trade practices like amassing buying allotment numbers while excluding other buyers.
Few buyers control the buying of livestock by monopolizing the allotment numbers. There is no competition among the buyers, with the few buyers determining prices and thus keeping them low. This is one issue that the meeting on Monday sought to address.
The meeting also offered the buyers an opportunity to clear their names as Agra and Karoo have been accusing them of refusing to buy livestock at auctions in the Omaheke communal areas. In this regard auctions scheduled under auctioneers Agra and Karoo for Aminuis in the Aminuis Constituency on 22-23 April, Eiseb in the Epukiro Constituency on 14-15 April and in Otjinene in the Otjinene Constituency on 2-3 May did not materialise apparently as per Agra and Karoo because they did not have buyers.
According to Pieter Kazongominja, spokesperson for the Omaheke Region Farmers Union (ORFU), buyers acceded that their conduct as much as it was motivated by their desire to gain maximally, it was not in the best interest of the farming community and accordingly apologised to the farming community for any uneasiness that might have been caused in the process.
The buyers say they will only engage in a game to make gains in their trade.
The farming community for now agreed that buyers continue buying under the new auctioneers closely watching their future behaviour and to report any perceived misconduct to the committee. Likewise, the buyers should be at liberty to approach the committee should any aspect about the buying of livestock bother them. Communication should hitherto be the watchword, the two parties agreed.
Meanwhile, a minimum price of N$12 per kg has been agreed for goats, which shall continue to be marketed from the respective homesteads of the farmers.
Kazongominja says there has been a discrepancy between the prices for which the buyers have been buying small stock from the communal faming community with sheep at time fetching as low as N$7 per kg while mutton at abattoirs was selling for about N$28 a kilogramme.
The current small stock marketing mode would remain in vogue until the committee has found an alterative.
Meanwhile, the first auction under Hammer & Tongue in the Omaheke communal areas proceeded as scheduled in Corridor 13 in the Aminuis Constituency attracting a total of about 1 500 cattle.
Today, it follows in Otjinene in the Otjinene Constituency with Eiseb in the Epukiro Constituency and Otjombinde in the Otjombinde Constituency.
It is only once the committee has overseen this series of first auctions under the new auctioneers, Hammer & Tongue that it hopes to proceed with consultations with Agra and Karoo through to clarify its future relations with these two auctioneers.
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