The Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform, Anna Shiweda, is in the Zambezi Region on a three-day visit to tour abattoirs and familiarise herself with the implementation of the poultry and horticulture programmes that are supported by the government.

The facility was upgraded to A-Class status, which exports Namibian beef.

There are currently two quarantine facilities in the Zambezi Region, the Kopano and Katima Mulilo, where cattle are quarantined for thirty days before they are brought to the abattoir. 

Shiweda urged farmers to sell their cattle before the drought impact becomes severe.

"If you wait for the drought to become severe, the animals will really deteriorate in their condition, and they cannot fetch a good market for the farmers."

Some of the challenges workers raised with the minister are a lack of value addition, processing, stock theft, vandalism of properties, limited markets, structural limitations, and commodity-based trade. 

Farmers sell their cattle, but there are no consumers as the meat is only exported to Angola and Ghana. 

"The retailers and the local buyers are not coming in to buy this meat, and that really is a concern. This is beautiful and quality meat; you have seen it yourself, and there is no reason why the retailers, the Shoprite, the Pick N Pay, and all that cannot buy this meat."

In addition, she encouraged farmers to not only focus on crop production or beef production but to engage in poultry and horticulture to have more than one stream of income.