The government has extended the deadline for applications to acquire agricultural equipment, following high demand from farmers across the country.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform (MAFWLR) says the process, which was initially set to close at the end of this month, will now run until mid-October to give applicants more time. 

The extension follows an overwhelming response from farmers across all the country's 14 regions, many of whom indicated that the initial timeframe was too short.

"We are in agreement to extend to give people enough time, and then a new date when this process is expected to be completed is by the 16th of October 2026. I therefore want to encourage everyone who is interested in this process to make sure that they launch their application, including our region structures, to make sure that this process is complete as soon as possible," said MAFWLR's Acting Executive Director, Petrus Nangolo.

The government has set aside money to boost the uptake of locally produced grain.    

"I want to inform especially the farmers, subsistence farmers, and small-scale and medium farmers who are mainly grain producers. They have also informed the government that the uptake of the grain that was harvested from the previous wrapping season was not really very high. And therefore, the government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform and the Ministry of Finance, has made available an amount of N$40 million just to increase the uptake of the grain. And it seems that this information is not cascaded to the producers of the farmers. Therefore, we are informing our farmers that they need to approach Agro-Marketing and Trade Agency (AMTA), a similar agent, to make sure that they sell their produce."

The funding aims to support subsistence, small-scale and medium-scale grain producers, many of whom have struggled to find markets for their harvest.   

Farmers are encouraged to work closely with marketing agencies to ensure that available grain is sold and does not go to waste. 
These measures are part of broader efforts to strengthen food security and support farmers ahead of the next agricultural season.