Aminuis farmers were filled with excitement as they hosted their very first livestock auction, organised by the Aminuis Farmers Association.

For many years, farmers in the area relied on the permit system, where a single buyer would come in with a fixed price, leaving them with little choice but to sell at that rate.

The auction is also helping bring services closer to farmers in Aminuis so they don't have to travel far to sell their livestock.

For a long time, many of the farmers had limited options and travelled quite a distance to go sell their livestock. This new setup is making things easier and more convenient for them.

The chairperson of the Aminuis Farmer's Association highlights, "Usually we only have two auctioneers that buy in the Aminuis Constituency. They mainly buy in Ondeprombapa, which is about 60 km from here. So what we were envisaging was that we were trying to get farmers from this side because Onderombapa is far. So we went to the Namibia Livestock Association (NLA), who are actually coming from the south. They mainly focus on small livestock, but they also have a few cattle being sold here. They agreed to come buy here. It is a relief for the farmers who don't have transport to travel that far; they can now bring their livestock here."

A farmer at the auction, Nongo Katjiuanjo, had this to say. 

"We have always wanted an auction, but there were a few hiccups here and there, but we thank AFA and its leadership for bringing this auction, and it should definitely come back."

Representatives from a local bank were on site, assisting farmers to open bank accounts and receive their payments directly.