Farmers in the Omega One settlement and surrounding areas have been left stranded with bags of unsold Mahangu grain following a drastic reduction in crop procurement volumes by the Agro-Marketing and Trade Agency (AMTA).

Families who rely entirely on this annual harvest to survive are facing financial ruin. 

Omega One Village Development Committee Chairperson Festus Hafeni warned that without immediate government intervention or emergency buyers, the community's entire seasonal cycle will collapse.

"So this year they have reduced the total number of the bags, whereby now it has affected everyone, especially those that are having more bags. And then, as you are seeing, the majority of the bags have to be transported back home, where they came from. And then the challenge now is that some of them were even transported on credit."

Hafeni warned that AMTA's abrupt policy change could plunge the farmers of Omega into a cycle of poverty.

"The challenge is that when Mahangu is taken home, it may go bad. Also, the quantity of Mahangu is quite large, and no matter how much a person eats, it is clear that they will not be able to finish it all before it spoils. Yes, this is a serious concern at the moment, as I am speaking."

AMTA, in a statement, said they capped grain purchases at 50% due to an N$82 million budget shortfall despite the N$40 million mid-term budget injection.

The Spokesperson, Pasval Elijah, stated that purchasing the remaining surplus or expanding storage logistics is unfeasible without further fiscal interventions from the government.