The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform has allocated over N$12 million towards the Horticulture Support and Value Chain Programme for the 2025/26 financial period. 

The aim of the programme is to increase food production and productivity for enhanced food security and to improve resilience among horticulture producers towards climate change. 

In a guideline report on the programme's implementation, the ministry says the scheme aims to ensure sustainable access, availability and use of essential farm inputs and capacity building of the small-scale horticulture producers along horticulture value chains. 

Of the N$12 million availed by the ministry, N$10.9 million is allocated to the provision of a subsidy to registered beneficiaries, while N$1.6 million is to go to capacitating horticulture producers.

The program targets benefiting 1,000 small-scale horticulture producers by assisting them with an average production land size of 0.1–0.5 hectares, and fodder producers to a maximum of one hectare. 

The scheme will be implemented in all regions, and its packages include the provision of a 50% subsidy on horticulture seeds for 10 crops. 

The government will also provide a 60% subsidy on fertilisers, to a maximum of eight bags weighing 50 kilogrammes each of fertiliser per annum, and one 50-kilogram bag of growth media per annum. 

Under the scheme, the government will provide a 50% subsidy on five pesticides and five herbicides. 

The government will also subsidise producers at 65% based on the quotation for specific shade nets, irrigation material, tools and packaging materials per farming household. 

It will also provide between N$250 and N$500 for tractor services, aimed at land preparation.

The funds for this subsidy will be transferred to regional councils, and producers will only benefit once a year from agricultural inputs, which include seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, and tillage services.

Assistance with irrigation materials and shade nets will be a one-off affair.

The ministry has allocated N$2 million towards the implementation of its Comprehensive Conservation Agriculture Programme for the 2025/2026 financial year. 

The ministry says the scheme will target small- and medium-scale cereal and horticulture farmers in the 14 regions. 

The objective of the Comprehensive Conservation Agriculture Programme is to reduce and reverse land degradation and to mitigate crop production while improving food security at both the national and farm levels. 

Through the programme, the ministry will be promoting continuous minimum mechanical soil disturbance, permanent organic soil cover and diversification of crop species. 

Another N$200,000 will be allocated to the National Conservation Agriculture Forum.