The Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform, Ruthy Masake, says that despite efforts to drill boreholes for communities in remote areas, saline water remains a persistent challenge.
Faster land reform, higher food production, and urgent action on unemployment were among the main issues raised by the Governor of the Otjozondjupa Region John ||Khamuseb in his second State of the Region Address on Monday.
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Land Reform, Inge Zaamwani, has launched the revised National Resettlement Policy for the period 2023 to 2033 in Windhoek.
Zaamwani described the launch of the revised policy as a milestone in the country's land reform programme.
Landless People's Movement MP Utaara Mootu questioned the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform on when they intend to table the report on the Commission of Inquiry on Ancestral Land Rights, initiated by late President Hage Geingob in 2018.
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform, Inge Zaamwani, says the ministry has started developing a commercial agricultural rating and taxation system.
The system will address the identified shortcomings and improve the administration of Land Tax on commercial agricultural land.
During yesterday's session of the National Assembly, members of the opposition expressed resistance toward the proposed Land Bill, stating that they cannot approve it in its current form.
During discussions on the budget allocation for agriculture and land reform, MPs raised concern regarding outdated machinery, while some are parked due to unpaid operators.
This, they say, is counterproductive.
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform, Inge Zaamwani said the budget allocated to the ministry will be used to boost food production and ensure fair distribution of land.
The ministry has been allocated about N$1,8 billion.
The Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT), Indileni Daniel, acknowledged that black ownership in game farming in Namibia remains limited.
The ||Kharas Regional Resettlement Committee Chairperson, Dawid Gertze, said the Land Reform Advisory Commission's final authority on resettlement farm allocations undermines the informed decisions of regional committees.
