A group of approximately 30 emerging farmer from across the country currently affiliated at emerging Farmers Associations in the commercial area, held a brainstor-ming session on Saturday and Sunday, July 28 & 29, 2007 at the Harmonie Centre in Windhoek. The brain-storming session took place under the banner of the Emerging Commercial Farmers Support Programme which also carried the costs for the two days.
The aim of the workshop was to mainly share information regarding the current emerging farmers support programme which takes place under the banner of the NAU and NNFU and also to look at the current situation of the emerging farming sector. The group emerging farmers identified their needs which are mainly about financial matters such as subsidies, guarantees for banking loans, land tax, interest rates, etc. The challenges identified by them were inter alia the lack of capacity at their local farmers associations as well as the lack of training and development within the emerging farming sector.
The group farmers decided to form an Emerging Farmers Forum which will affiliate at the Joint Presidency Committee (JPC – the overhead organisation of the NAU and NNFU) in order to give inputs with future planning regarding a structure which should join all producers in Namibia under one umbrella. The JPC will cooperate in future with this Forum as representing body of the emerging farming sector.
Mr Solomon Tjipura of Grootfontein was elected as Chairman of the Forum with Mr Stanly Kozonguizi as Vice Chairman. Other management members are Mr Kakujaha of Gobabis, Mr Boois of Keetmanshoop and Mr Uaendere of Windhoek. This committee totally dissociates them-selves from the political utterances which a certain Mr Tjizera under the banner of NEFA made about two weeks ago regarding land grabs. These utterances of certain Mr Tjizera already had repercussions in the international media.