Otjozondjupa Governor James Uerikua wants the farmers' trade unions' books audited for accountability.

Uerikua was speaking at the Namibia National Farmers Union (NNFU) Special Congress at Otjiwarongo.

The governor says the farmers' union books must be audited and open to the public for scrutiny.

This, he explained, will help to keep the running affairs of farmers activities concerning financial matters in check.

"So you need to be accountable; that's why you have organisations and institutions created in our republic, such as ACC, to ensure there are checks and balances in your day-to-day execution of your duties and responsibilities. Your books must be audited; there must be clear audits that must be done, and every financial year there must be clear audit records. Because you come to some farmer's associations, I am talking about my region now. In the audit records, there were issues. The general public is saying, But you are selling livestock every day; we don't know what the books look like."

He says when the books are audited, planning for the next activities becomes easier as information on how much is available and how much is expected is readily accessible.

The Governor also encouraged NNFU to strengthen its governance through inclusivity and result-driven efforts to contribute to food security.

Uerikua further advised the northern communal farmer unions to put measures in place to work on improving their animals to be competitive.

"We need to look at improving your head quality as far as livestock quality is concerned because for the animal to be competitive when you talk of meat production, there are a number of factors. There are specific breeds that can do that, but their pricing in terms of what they get out of that animal is still low."

He says northern communal farmers should be reaping the benefits of their investments, and the NNFU should address that.