President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said she will do everything in her power to ensure that the difficulties experienced by green schemes are addressed. 

The President is on a mission to make sure that the country feeds itself and is asking for everyone to play their part. 

During her visit to the various green schemes in the Kavango East and West regions, the Head of State took the time to listen to those responsible for keeping these green schemes afloat.

These include the managers, farm workers and the small and medium farmers. 

Their concerns were all the same. cumbersome procurement processes, limited financial resources and high input costs, sometimes caused by ineffective procedures. 

"I am the President. I can use the laws, the power given to me by the Namibian people. As long as it's not mine, I am doing it in the interest of the people. I want things to be done, so I will just do the things for everybody to benefit. If some of these laws are meant to deny our people quality service, let me go to prison."

This is the Uvhungu-Vhungu Irrigation project in Kavango East. Plans to revive the dairy farm have been on the cards for a while now, and the President said an assessment will be done to see exactly how much it will cost. 

"The Prime Minister's office, the PM himself, has a directive to make sure that this dairy will come into operation. I will keep putting pressure on him to make sure that it is done. He will be working closer with the governor and councillors, so we have to make it work. Mr Smith, be assured of the government's support for your project. My commitment is really to feed Namibia."

This is the Sikondo Green Scheme in Kavango West. The farm has been harvesting the mondial potato for about a month now, and its acting farm manager took the President on a tour of the green scheme's operations. 

He also gave a presentation on some of the green scheme's needs. Maxwell Nghidinwa said it's about time government farms invest in agricultural technology like drones. 

President Nandi-Ndaitwah stated that this is the perfect opportunity for Namibian universities to do research and assist the local agricultural sector. 

"I don't know how cheap or expensive it is, but looking also at some of the research that UNAM is engaging in, we might buy the drones now from wherever they are made, but as time goes on, there is a possibility to use locally made drones. We just have to ask our universities to contribute to the growth of our economy through research."

Farmers said agricultural input costs such as seeds and fertilisers for green schemes are expensive. 

To reduce these high costs, the President suggested making use of some of the country's mineral resources. 

"Some of the fertilisers can come from by-products of the minerals that are being exploited in our country, so we have to really move with urgency. The task given to me by my Namibian people, amongst other things, is to feed the nation, and I cannot feed the nation if we are not able to produce. Our Founding President told us that a nation that cannot feed itself will never be respected."