Old Mutual on Wednesday supported drought stricken farmers with N.dollars 385 000 through the Dare to Care Disaster Relief Campaign at a handover ceremony in the capital.
A media statement issued to Nampa on Thursday said the Dare to Care campaign is an initiative of the Agricultural Union of Namibia (NAU) and the Namibia Emerging Commercial Farmers Union (NECFU), aimed at supporting all farmers across all regions through a subsidiary feeding scheme.
Ryno van der Merwe, President of NAU expressed concern about the prevailing drought in Namibia, calling it a national disaster and said he does not know what the future holds and how the producers are going to recover after this drought, the statement says.
“What I do know is that all of us have to support the various producers.
That is why it is a great privilege for us today that Old Mutual came to the table to share financial contributions to the agricultural sector,”
van der Merwe was quoted as saying.
On his part, Group CEO of Old Mutual Namibia, Kosmas Egumbo noted that Namibians need to unite as a nation and that interventions like the Dare to Care campaign will address the most immediate needs of the Namibian farmers.
“It is with appreciation and humility that we are coming in to support our farmers and we have always looked up to farmers as a resilient group of people, but we do not always recognise the critical players in the value chain of food production,” he said.
The President of NECFU, Dr. Ndahafa Nghifindaka, urged other organisations to follow in Old Mutual’s footsteps, saying that any contribution, big or small, is most welcome during this time of critical need.