The Director of Forestry in the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism, Johnson Ndokosho, has issued a stern warning that the directorate will not renew tree harvesting permits for farms in breach of harvesting quotas. 

Ndokosho made this warning during a community meeting underway at Outjo in the Kunene Region, which is aimed at engaging with charcoal farmers and workers who are affected by the ban on production on their farms.

The ban on production came into effect in May and followed after the ministry's environmental teams visited about 110 farms in parts of the Otjozondjupa and Kunene regions.

According to Ndokosho, the majority of the farms were found to be harvesting more than what is detailed on their permits, harvesting unauthorised tree species and poisonous trees, cutting down large trees, and heavily clearing land, which resulted in deforestation.

Ndokosho says the assessments further found some farms are harvesting in riverbeds, which puts into question the level of supervision by farm owners over workers who are not educated on what to cut or not.

Farmers, on their part, are saying a workable solution must be found, saying punishment must be imposed only on those in breach of permits.

They also want proper farm inspections and feedback to be done before permits or production are issued or stopped.

They say the government is failing them and want the ban lifted, as this has further impacted their livelihood and those of the workers under their employment.