A roundtable discussion under the theme "creation of a lucrative livestock market for farmers in the communal areas" was held at Opuwo in the Kunene Region.

The meeting, which was organised by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, was attended by communal farmers from the region to discuss how they can acquire a reliable livestock marker for their animals to derive income from their livestock.

Kunene is one of the vast regions in Namibia, and for the past seven to eleven years, the region has failed to get sufficient rainfall.

Poor rainfall received in that region has resulted in the loss of hundreds of livestock that succumbed to drought.

A meeting was then convened to solicit input from farmers as to how a suitable livestock market for communal farmers in Kunene can be found to enable them to derive income from their animals.

It was stated that there is no organised livestock market in Kunene, and this has forced communal farmers to move from place to place in search of a good price for their livestock.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was represented by the head of the division responsible for drought management and assessment, who also deals with the marketing of crops and livestock, to make sure that what is being discussed will later be presented in the cabinet for government intervention.

They raised the need for boreholes in the best grazing areas of Kunene, as well as large hectares of good grazing areas that have been fenced off, while others are within conservancy areas.