Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) Leader McHenry Venaani, in the National Assembly, has questioned what had happened with the N$20 million dairy farm initiative that was to be carried out at Uvungu Vungu and which has not been spoken about for the past 16 years.

The project was initiated by the former Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Forestry, and the legal framework and management structure were established in 2003 through agreements with Uvhungu Vungu Farm Development.

"When will we begin milking at Uvungu Vungu after spending N$200 million over the past 16 years? I saw the President was there; I was there; the Prime Minister was there; and I have not seen cows there, but you have been talking about a dairy farm for the last 16 years. I want to know from you, as a capable agricultural minister, when are we going to get the first litre of milk at Uvungu Vungu?"

In response, the Minister of Agriculture, Inge Zaamwani, said that the government had decided that the development of the dairy farm was to be done on a private and public basis.

However, the initial contractor had failed to deliver, prompting the ministry to revert to the drawing board due to repeated failures despite heavy investment.

"We have done an assessment of what needs to be done for the project to be completed. We have constituted; we have submitted our application to our government because we don't have the funds. So there are two ways: we either do the completion of the project ourselves, or we give it to a new tenderer, inclusive of the cost of completing the work that needs to be completed before the milk can start coming in."

The minister said that among some of the challenges they face are a lack of electricity and water infrastructure.

She said she cannot give a specific timeframe for when the project will be complete, but they have made a few visits to the farm and are trying to fast-track the process.