Desmond Cloete, the marketing manager at the Livestock and Livestock Products Board of Namibia, who gave a brief overview of the pork market share promotion scheme and its importance in securing a future for pork production in Namibia.
Global pork consumption is projected to grow 8% or 131,1 million tonnes by 2033. Asia, Latin America, Africa and North America are expected to produce the highest volumes of pork over the next decade while Europe’s production will likely decrease by 3,1%. This was the message delivered by Desmond Cloete and Utjevera Tjiramba from the Livestock and Livestock Products Board of Namibia (LLPBN) at the recent Pig Producers Association information session in Windhoek. “Pork production remains one of the more intensive farming operations in Namibia, consisting of commercial and backyard producers. This is why it is important to protect the industry and encourage local growth,” said Utjevera.
Local pig slaughtering increased by 8,92% from 26 258 during January to July 2023 to 28 599 between January and July 2024. The market share of pork imports (excluding processed products) decreased by 67,7%. Namibia imported the most pork from Germany (71%) followed by South Africa (16%) and Botswana with 12%. The price for pork decreased by 14,43% in the United States, dropping from N$41.01 per kg in July 2023 to N$35.09 in May 2024. However, as Desmond pointed out, due to the pork ceiling price which is fixed at N$51.03, Namibian producers currently receive the best price per kg in the world. However, producers remain under severe pressure due to rising input costs.
One of the key challenges for the industry is the fact that there are only a few commercial producers in the country. The two largest are the Haloli and Mariental Piggeries, which supply half of the pork consumed in Namibia. “We have a lot of small-scale producers (backyard) that are not registered with the LLPBN. The issue with these producers is that they have no bio-secure pens and feed their animals kitchen scraps. Most of the pigs slaughtered are also for own consumption.” According to the latest census (2022), there are 95 920 pigs in Namibia of which 47 278 are found south of the veterinary cordon fence on 2 049 establishments. A total of 46 170 pigs are found in the northern communal areas on 1 520 establishments.
“The registration of establishments with the LLPBN is crucial. It helps the directorate of veterinary services to monitor farms in case of disease outbreaks. It also makes it easier to conduct farm inspections to make sure that all farms adhere to the double-fencing regulation designed to keep warthogs away,” explained Desmond. He reiterated the importance of the pork market share promotion scheme (PMSPS) which was implemented in 2012. It is now in its second phase – each phase lasts eight years. “The scheme helps to ensure that pork does not become too expensive compared to other protein sources. It does, however, not attract small-scale farmers because they often receive higher prices selling directly to the market, often slaughtering pigs on the farm.”
The PMSPS is a carcass-based scheme with quantitative restrictions. Local processors are required to buy pork from local producers first before they receive an import permit from the LLPBN. The procurement ratio between February and September is 1:2 (for every 1 kg bought locally, 2 kg can be imported) and 1:3 during October and January. The latter is higher due to a shortage of pork during the festive season. Going forward, the LLPBN is investigating the opportunity to amend and expand the PMSPS to include small-scale producers by stimulating offtake in the northern communal areas through a code of good practice. Moreover, quantitative restrictions versus a levy-based system are also being investigated.
