The Zambezi Meat Corporation (ZAMCO) has re-opened the former Meatco Abattoir at Katima Mulilo with help from the Meat Board of Namibia. The corporation, owned by local farmers, is expected to boost the region's economy, by enabling farmers to destock during drought. ZAMCO chairperson Robert Mapenzi has encouraged farmers to market their livestock and boost the region's economy. Ministry of Agriculture Executive Director Percy Misika says the abattoir's reopening will create jobs and improve the livelihoods of local farmers. Thirty people have been employed at the re-opened abattoir, including those who lost their jobs when Meatco closed the abattoir five years ago. The abattoir can slaughter 1 320 cattle per month or 15 000 cattle per year and is likely to boost the availability of fresh beef in the region. Subsistence farmers in the Zambezi Region had been struggling to market their livestock since Meatco closed the abattoir. This, as the number of livestock had continued to increase and put a strain on limited pastures, at a time that drought was devastating livestock and vegetation.