Uphill Task for Livestock Farmers
NAMIBIA - Farmers will have to pay more to sustain their livestock until the next rainy season, the Namibia Agricultural Union said.
17 May 2019
1 minute read
In a statement, the NAU said the agri-inflation rate that has increased by 4.4 percent year-on-year has driven the costs of inputs up.
The agri-inflation rate is the average increase in the basket of inputs used in livestock and crop production.
The cost of maintaining livestock went up because of the price of feeds which increased by 8.5 percent during the first three months of this year.
The total cost of capital projects around the farms increased by 6.2 percent, compared to the same period last year, while 6.5 percent of the cost of the inputs was pushed up by the price of fuel.
For the farmers who are planning to destock to evade the effects of the drought, the report indicates that weaner prices have dropped by 22.6 percent.
This means an ox production system is currently more profitable than weaner production.
However, the slaughter price increased by 14.7 percent at the end of the first quarter, with Meatco keeping its price stable despite overall cattle prices dropping, the NAU indicated.
To continue reading this article, please click here.
Source: AllAfrica.com
TheCattleSite News Desk
