The Namibian Agricultural Union (NAU) said yesterday, May 16, that farmers will have to pay more to keep cattle until the next rainy season.

The NAU statement said that the level of agro-inflation, which increased by 4.4% year on year, led to an increase in resource costs.

The level of agroinflation is the average increase in the basket of resources used in animal husbandry and crop production. The cost of keeping livestock increased due to feed prices, which increased by 8.5% in the first three months of this year.

The total cost of capital projects around farms increased by 6.2% compared to the same period last year, while 6.5% of the cost of resources was increased by the price of fuel.

The statement also said that with increasing livestock mortality, farmers are expected to reduce their livestock numbers to prevent financial losses. In the first quarter of 2019, farmers auctioned 7,941 cows.

Meat and dairy farms are greatly affected by the cost of feed, the cost of which increased by 23% year on year. The cost of feed in dairy farming amounted to 32.8% of the total increase, however, the price of milk on the farm did not change.

The NAU statement also confirmed a report by the Namibian Agronomic Council last week that the country will face a shortage of white corn in the local market during the 2019/20 season, by no less than 14,500 tons.