It has come to light that Meatco has been selling its products at significantly cheaper prices on the international market compared to its local competitors.

The company is bleeding financially and is being bailed out by the government regularly.

The Bank of Namibia, in a damning report to the Minister of Finance and Public Enterprises, estimates that Meatco's revenue was N$4 billion less than its local competitors, which export meat to the same market, between 2018 and 2023.

The Vice-Treasurer of the Namibia National Farmers Union (NNFU) says farmers in the Northern Communal Area (NCA) are struggling to access drought relief for their livestock.

Kristian Hango said this during a briefing with the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Economics and Public Administration and the farmers' unions in Windhoek.

Hango says there is a need for a proactive approach to drought assistance for livestock farmers in the NCA.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform officially handed over the Rundu abattoir to MeatCo yesterday.

The abattoir is intended to serve as a market for cattle and small stock farmers in the Kavango East, West, and surrounding regions.

The construction of the Rundu abattoir started in 2014 and was expected to be completed in 2017.
 
The Minister of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform, Carl Schlettwein, stated that the outbreak of COVID-19 and disruptions in tourism and other economic activities delayed the completion of the abattoir.

The Minister of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform, Carl Schlettwein, says MeatCo still remains a crucial entity in the meat market and that it has no immediate replacement.

Schlettwein noted that although the government cannot keep up with bailing out MeatCo all the time, there are currently no plans to replace the entity, and it remains the heartbeat of the livestock sector.