• Market Watch

N$78.9 million Etunda Feedlot construction to start

• 7 Hours Ago - 2025-08-06 00:00:00

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Etunda Feedlot took place on 31 July 2025 in the Omusati Region, marking an important step in improving livelihoods for communal livestock farmers in Namibia’s Northern Communal Areas (NCAs).
Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, Inge Zaamwani, described the Etunda Feedlot as “a flagship component of the Livestock Support Programme (LSP), a N$400 million initiative jointly funded by the Namibian government and the European Union.”

Feedlot and LSP Overview
She stated the feedlot “will serve as a central off-take point, reducing the cost and shortening distances communal farmers travel when transporting their cattle to abattoirs,” while improving “the conditions and market-readiness of cattle through proper feeding and veterinary care.”
The minister said the feedlot “will have a standing capacity for 1 000 cattle” and forms “an integral part of our broader vision to integrate communal farmers into Namibia’s formal livestock beef value chain, which will eventually enable them to gain access to global markets.”
Director General of the National Planning Commission, Dr Kaire Mbuende, said the project “is financed by the European Union, to the tune of N$78.9 million.” He highlighted that the project aims “at improving livestock marketing in the northern communal areas, through the construction of the feedlot at Etunda.”

More projects in the pipeline
Mbuende said that the feedlot is “one of the direct interventions and strategies under the first Pillar of the Sixth National Development Plan (NDP6), namely ‘Economic Growth, Transformation and Resilience’.”
He also listed other related projects financed by the European Union, including:
• Upgrading the existing abattoir to a slaughterhouse in Opuwo, Kunene Region, for N$20.3 million
• Construction of an Artificial Insemination Centre in Okapya, Oshikoto Region, for N$11.1 million
• Construction of an Agricultural Development Centre, Veterinary Office, and Staff House in Nkurenkuru, Kavango West Region, for N$6.9 million
• Renovation and upgrading of the auction facility in Ncaute, Kavango East Region, for N$2.5 million
• Upgrading of quarantine facilities and farm infrastructure in Katima Mulilo, Zambezi Region, for N$8.5 million
• Upgrading of quarantine facilities and multi-purpose farm infrastructure at Omutambo Maowe, Omusati Region, for N$15.2 million

Farmers’ perspective
Sylvanus Naunyango, executive member of the Omusati Regional Farmers Union representing the Namibia National Farmers Union (NNFU), presented the farmers’ perspective.
He said, “For many years, communal farmers have faced numerous challenges, particularly concerning limited market access, poor animal quality and insufficient throughput for abattoir operators.”
Naunyango noted, “The NCA houses more than half of the cattle population (1.7 million as per latest census statistics) of this country,” yet “they only slaughtered about 9 000 cattle” during the last financial year through Meatco NCA. “This shows the off-take percentage is very low, less than 5 per cent for that matter, while average commercial off-take should be around 25%.”
The feedlot, he said, “will not only serve as a critical market linkage point, but also as a demonstration facility where communal farmers can learn, adapt, and adopt the feedlotting system.”
However, “We would like to request the Ministry of Agriculture to open up this place” and urged “all implementing ministries and contractors to expedite the construction process and ensure this facility becomes operational as soon as possible.”
He also called for the Ministry of Agriculture to “speed up the NCA equalisation fund,” describing it as “the conduit and enabler for these good works the ministry is doing.”
The Livestock Support Programme aims to support commodity-based trade (CBT), which “allows for meat exports from the NCAs without compromising animal disease controls,” important in areas affected by foot-and-mouth disease and lumpy skin disease.

Namibia’s beef globally
Zaamwani highlighted Namibia’s global market access, saying, “Namibia is one of the few African countries with the capacity and credibility to export beef to some of the most demanding international markets,” including “the European Union under the EU-SADC Economic Partnership Agreement, Norway through the SACU-EFTA quota, and China, which has become a key market for high-quality protein.”
She added, “Most notably, Namibia is the first and only African country currently exporting beef to the United States of America.”
The minister also emphasised the importance of “robust veterinary services, our Livestock Identification and Traceability System (NamLITS), and our steadfast commitment to uphold international animal health standards.”
Construction of the Etunda Feedlot is expected to be completed by September 2026, with strict monitoring and adherence to timelines promised by the National Planning Commission.

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QR CAPTION: Inge Zaamwani, Dr Kaire Mbuende and others break ground at the Etunda Feedlot Project
VIDEO LINK: https://q.my.na/5Q6U