The manager at Musese Green Scheme in the Kavango West Region says ongoing power cuts, high demand charges, and exorbitant import fees are hampering significant progress at the irrigation project.
Winni Metzger briefed President Nangolo Mbumba during a presentation on the successes and challenges of the project during the president's visit to the irrigation project on Sunday.
Musese Green Scheme is considered to be one of the most successful green schemes in Kavango West.
Metzger said despite the schemes' enormous potential, the project is still experiencing difficulties.
The scheme produces between 500 and 700 hectares of maize every year.
They also farm with cattle. The livestock is purchased from the local community, fattened up, and then sold to abattoirs in northern Namibia.
The project has a mill and also plants various other crops, but Metzger said there are major stumbling blocks.
"Demand charges we are paying in the region when we are irrigating. N$1 million a month for electricity, NamPower informed NORED, saying your safety switch is broken; that's why it always trips ours. The maintenance was not done. We are experiencing the most power outages in Kavango West out of the whole of Namibia, and this is affecting our production."
Responding to the concerns, President Mbumba said, "The cry over energy; we have heard that in every green scheme I have visited, and I have a personal fight with our energy company. It is so uncomfortable to see less energy at a higher price, and they are not interested in expanding the production of energy."
Metzger also touched on the high import charges by the Namibia Agronomic Board. This year alone, Musese produced 4,000 tonnes of maize and had to import 150,000 tonnes of the same product from South Africa.
"The Agronomic Board is charging us 5% import. On the maize I imported this year, it was N$123 million. I paid N$6 million to the board. The Agronomic Board is already sitting on a bag of money in the region of N$200 million plus, and they don't know what to do with that money."
Metzger also informed the President that he is in the process of buying a biomass generator to go off the grid. He is also asking for the unproductive green schemes to be made available to the many productive small-scale farmers in the region.
President Mbumba also paid a courtesy call to Hompa Alfons Kaundu of the Mbunza Traditional Authority in Kavango West.
Apart from thanking the Hompa for his leadership, Mbumba also encouraged traditional authorities in Namibia to ensure that those under their leadership vote peacefully.