The Acting Executive Director of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform, Petrus-Canisius Nangolo, has reminded farmers that the ministry has rolled out several support measures in the Omusati Region ahead of the rainy season.

Nangolo said the ministry is providing seed and ploughing services and servicing tractors in preparation for the season.

Support is also being extended along the horticulture and dairy value chains.

Funds for these programmes have already been distributed to the regions to ensure assistance reaches farmers on time.

“For the upcoming grain season, the ministry is providing different support services. That is including the provision of seed services and ploughing services, as we are preparing for the servicing of the tractors. We are also providing support in terms of the horticulture value chain and dairy value chain. This amount of money, they are already distributed to the regions so that the regions can work with the farmers so that the farmers can really get these funds.”

He added that during the season, a group-based weeding programme will be implemented, with the ministry co-funding the cost for farmers.

On crop selection, Nangolo advised farmers to plant early-maturing and fast-growing varieties such as Kangala, Okashana 1 and Okashana 2 to cope with shorter rain seasons.

He noted that continued use of long-maturing varieties and unpredictable rainfall remain key challenges.

“One does not really have a specific crop that farmers must grow, because there are traditions and norms that farmers believe in. But as the ministry, we are just trying to advise our farmers to say that most of the time the rainy season is becoming very short. They need to use the cultivars that are able to grow very fast and mature early. We have things like Kangala; we have things like Okashana 1 and 2, and other cultivars. So we are saying that let us use seeds, certified seeds that can perform better in terms of germination and early maturity, so that we capitalise on a short rain season.”

Nangolo said the ministry is prioritising the timely distribution of farming equipment in high-crop-producing areas like Omusati and is also providing extension services in the livestock sector to help farmers access technical information.