Fanie Oosthuizen appointed co-opted Board Member

22 Jul 2016

Born in 1971, Stefanus J. Oosthuizen – better known as Fanie – began farming in 2000 and delivered his first load to Meatco in 2002.

Representing the commercial farmers

Representing the commercial farmers

At the AGM held on 24 June 2016, Oosthuizen was elected as a co-opted member on the Meatco Board of Directors, to represent the interests of commercial farmers.

Having studied Civil Engineering and completing an S4 technical degree at the Cape Town Technicon, Fanie has enjoyed various successes as a producer, including being the Producer of the Year in 2008 as well Top 10 Producer in the very same year.

“In my view there is a need for co-ordination between farming and marketing so that we can produce what is wanted by the consumers, while Meatco must seek new ways to deliver a unique, sought-after product to the international market. The ‘image’ of the Namibian producer and Namibia as a whole, is an ever-growing marketing tool that needs attention,” Oosthuizen says.

The Summerdown farmer feels Meatco is a vital instrument in the survival of the livestock industry, thanks to its ability to harvest foreign currency. “All producers in Namibia must realize that our future may be solely dependent on Meatco,” he says.

“To ensure the survival of the industry, we must take ownership of our future and actively manage ‘our Meatco’ as we cannot regret an opportunity tomorrow that was available today.”

Fanie is a firm believer in farming being a passion and lifestyle. “No farming, no living!”