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PP RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHWD #0071/01 0571540
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 261540Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0365
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORP C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 WINDHOEK 000071 
 
DEPT PLS PASS TO DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHDC 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/26/2019 
TAGS:        
SUBJECT: NAMIBIA: USG AG COOPERATION - A GOOD NEWS STORY 
 
REF: WINDHOEK 69 
 
WINDHOEK 00000071  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
Classified By: AMBASSADOR DENNISE MATHIEU for 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
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Summary 
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 1. (C)  The USG has for many years collaborated with the 
government of Namibia (GRN) in the latter's attempt to boost 
its agricultural productivity, improve its plant and animal 
health systems, and gain access to U.S. markets.  The U.S. 
Department of Agriculture (USDA) has conducted most U.S. 
agricultural assistance, although the Millennium Challenge 
Corporation (MCC) will soon invest in livestock and rangeland 
management projects in Namibia's northern communal areas. 
USDA is currently engaged with Namibia on several technical 
issues, principally its request for meat equivalence with the 
United States and collaboration on phytosanitary concerns, 
including the threat posed by the fruit fly Bactrocera 
invadens.  In addition, Namibia participates in USDA/Foreign 
Agricultural Service (FAS) capacity-building programs, such 
as the Cochran Fellowship program.  GRN officials have 
expressed interest in additional collaboration with USDA. 
However, bureaucratic problems in the Ministry of Agriculture 
- which FAS/Pretoria and Embassy Windhoek will continue to 
monitor - could slow down our cooperation.  End Summary. 
 
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Consultations with Stakeholders 
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 2. (U)  From January 26-29, FAS/Pretoria Agricultural 
Minister-Counselor (AgMin) and Embassy Windhoek economic 
officer (econoff) met with GRN officials, agriculture union 
representatives, members of industry, and other agriculture 
stakeholders.  This visit sought to assess the status of 
USDA's activities in Namibia and to update our understanding 
of the agricultural situation in the country. 
 
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Meat Equivalence - USDA Still Shepherding the Process 
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 3. (SBU)  For the past several years, USDA and Namibia's 
Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry (MAWF) have been 
actively engaged in a process to facilitate Namibia's meat 
equivalence application to USDA's Food Safety and Inspection 
Service (FSIS).  With equivalence status, Namibia will be 
able to export meat to the United States. During this recent 
visit, AgMin discussed the status and next steps in the 
equivalency process with the Permanent Secretary of 
Agriculture, Water and Forestry; the Deputy Chief Veterinary 
Officer and staff; the General Manager of the Meat Board of 
Namibia; and the Director and Trade Advisor of the Namibian 
Agricultural Trade Forum.  The benefits that access to the 
U.S. market could likely bring to Namibian livestock 
producers were also discussed in meetings with the two main 
farmer associations. 
 
 4. (C)  Based on the discussions, Namibia clearly remains 
committed to addressing the single remaining outstanding 
issue noted by FSIS in its recent communications with 
Namibia: the laboratory used for the required residue tests. 
It is Namibia's intention to establish a separate facility 
within its Central Veterinary Laboratory to manage the 
residue tests.  The tests are currently conducted in a South 
African laboratory.  However, there has been little progress 
toward the construction of the Namibian facility due to 
delays in the awarding of contracts for its construction and 
for provision of the laboratory equipment. 
 
 5. (SBU)  AgMin conveyed the FSIS' message that Namibia can 
request a meat equivalence audit at any time, even though the 
issue of the residue testing laboratory remains unresolved. 
Meat equivalence requires the evaluation of a country's 
inspection system which involves two steps: a document review 
and an on-site review.  Namibia has largely passed the 
document review process.  Now a FSIS technical team must 
visit the country for an on-site review to evaluate five risk 
areas (contamination, disease, processing, residues, and 
compliance and economic fraud) as well as other aspects of 
the inspection system including plant facilities and 
equipment, laboratories, training programs, and in-plant 
inspection operations.  Should an on-site audit yield a 
favorable result, the rule-making process in the United 
States could move forward while USDA and Namibia worked 
together to resolve the laboratory issue.  The final step of 
the rule making process would, however, have to await the 
satisfactory resolution of the residue testing laboratory. 
 
WINDHOEK 00000071  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
(Note: One possible temporary solution is for Namibia to use 
one of the European laboratories already recognized by the 
United States.)  While the Permanent Secretary seemed in 
favor of requesting the audit as soon as possible, other 
participants in the process, including the Ministry's 
veterinary officials and the Meat Board, appeared to take a 
more cautious approach.  AgMin also reiterated that FSIS 
stands ready to answer questions and provide guidance ahead 
of the audit, including sending a technical consultant who 
previously traveled to Namibia. 
 
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Plant Health - Still a Few Bugs 
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 6. (SBU)  Renier Burger, the Chief Plant Protection officer 
at MAWF, provided an update on Namibia's latest efforts to 
combat the threat posed by Bactrocera invadens, the fruit fly 
that is devastating horticultural production and commerce in 
many parts of Africa.  Burger expressed gratitude for 
USDA/APHIS' ongoing support to his team's surveillance and 
mitigation efforts to slow the spread of the pest.  Although 
they face capacity and technical constraints, Burger and his 
staff are diligently trying to adhere to recognized 
international practices to manage the domestic quarantine and 
cross-border trade issues.  While South Africa temporarily 
prohibited fruit imports from Namibia in October 2008, 
without the work of Burger's team, the prohibition might 
still be in place.  The Plant Protection unit eventually 
convinced South African authorities to allow fruit exports 
from southern Namibia into South Africa after demonstrating 
that the fly had not migrated to the southern parts of the 
country. 
 
 7. (C)  Burger and his team are apparently under much 
internal pressure to cut corners in an effort to maintain 
Namibia's commercial trade, especially its fruit exports to 
South Africa.  For example, the Permanent Secretary has yet 
to give Berger official permission to report the detection of 
Bactrocera invadens within Namibia to the International Plant 
Protection Convention, a step that should have been automatic 
months ago.  The Permanent Secretary's reticence to go public 
has left Burger the target of criticism.  For example, one 
private sector interlocutor told AgMin that the Plant 
Protection unit had failed to notify farmers in time to 
mitigate the impact of the fruit flies on Namibian fruit 
exports.  Nonetheless, Mr. Burger reports that he is 
receiving good cooperation from Namibian fruit producers and 
from South Africa with regard to measures that will serve to 
maintain biosecurity and plant health within Namibia and 
facilitate trade to South Africa. 
 
 8. (SBU)  Namibia was able to respond quickly and effectively 
to this new fruit fly pest due in part to the earlier 
collaborative work with APHIS on surveillance and monitoring 
of false codling moth.  Namibia is now well into the second 
year of data collection and the results could lead to the 
relaxation of mitigation measures that currently restrict the 
commercial viability of Namibia's table grape exports to the 
United States. 
 
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Namibian Government to USDA - Help Wanted . . . 
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 9. (SBU)  GRN officials expressed considerable interest in 
additional USDA technical assistance and capacity building 
programs, especially  Food for Progress and the Cochran 
Fellowship.  Although identified as a 2009 Food for Progress 
priority country, funding constraints prevented USDA from 
awarding Namibia a program.  AgMin clarified to our 
interlocutors that Namibia remains eligible and that, 
depending on funding, one of the 2009 proposals might still 
be approved.  Funding cutbacks in the Cochran program will 
prevent USDA from seeking new Fellows from Namibia in 2009. 
FAS/Pretoria, however, intends to support a training program 
for one of the 2008 Namibian Fellows who could not travel 
last year.  The Permanent Secretary of Agriculture also asked 
for assistance helping develop a better agricultural 
statistics system.  AgMin noted that USDA's National 
Agricultural Statistical Service does provide some assistance 
in the region, but at the moment funding constraints would 
likely prevent any near term projects. 
 
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. . . Farmer-Based Organizations Want Help Too! 
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 10. (SBU)  AgMin and econoff met with the two principal 
farmer-based organizations in Namibia: the Namibia 
 
WINDHOEK 00000071  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
Agricultural Union (NAU) which primarily represents 
commercial farmers, and the Namibia National Farmers Union 
(NNFU) which represents communal (subsistence) farmers. 
(Note: For more information on the differences between 
commercial and communal farmers see reftel. End Note).  Poor 
rangeland management, by both communal and commercial 
farmers, has significantly reduced the number of livestock 
Namibian soil can sustain.  NAU's president, Ryno Van Der 
Merwe, noted that, in the 1970's, commercial farmers 
maintained approximately 2.2 million head of cattle.  Today 
commercial cattle number only 800,000.  He acknowledged that 
overgrazing has contributed to today's relatively poor 
livestock yields as some rangeland areas can no longer 
sustain grasses for animals to feed on.  The Millennium 
Challenge Account compact targets improved rangeland 
management to improve the productivity of grazing resources 
in the communal areas of Namibia as a major component of its 
agricultural project.  The NAU and its constituent commercial 
farmers have put forward a plan (seeking GRN assistance) to 
include them in national rangeland management projects. 
 
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Comment 
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 11. (C)  Communication and coordination between the USG and 
GRN technical and regulatory agencies on both the meat 
equivalence and phytosanitary issues is functioning well. 
Progress on meat equivalence is perhaps slower than expected, 
but the delays are apparently bureaucratic in nature and not 
due to lack of GRN will.  Within the Ministry of Agriculture, 
Water and Forestry, there appear to be structural and 
leadership issues that may be affecting Namibia's response to 
the threat posed by the fruit fly and its prompt action on 
issues like meat equivalence.  FAS/Pretoria and Embassy 
Windhoek will continue to monitor this issue in order to 
assess the impact, if any, on USDA programs or Namibia's 
adherence to international standards and protocols.  As 
needed, USDA will continue to support the collaborative 
effort between APHIS and Namibia's quarantine service on both 
the fruit fly and codling moth issues.  As appropriate, USDA 
will attempt to include Namibia in activities managed by 
USDA's SPS Regional Coordinators. 
 
 12. (SBU)  The agriculture industry groups and associations 
appear to be relatively strong and active in supporting their 
constituents.  These groups provide valuable insights into 
the agricultural situation in Namibia.  FAS/Pretoria and 
Embassy Windhoek will attempt to strengthen our relationships 
with these groups, as they could be useful collaborators for 
future USDA programs as well as sources for future Cochran 
Fellows.  End Comment. 
MATHIEU