Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform, Anna Shiweda, said the Namibian government has officially declared a state of drought in Namibia.
She said measures are being put into motion to initiate a comprehensive drought relief programme aimed at assisting the vulnerable and affected communities residing in all 14 regions of the country.
A scientist at Avagro near Swakopmund has been exploring options for growing disease-free bananas and date palms to help Namibian farmers diversify their crops and get better yields. Through a process called tissue culture, Frieda Shigwedha says Avagro's plan is to train local people on how to cultivate bananas and create jobs for themselves.
AvaGro scooped the Master Crop Value Chain award as the Actor of the Year during the Namibian Agronomic Board's National Agronomy and Horticulture Awards Ceremony, held at Mashare in the Kavango East Region.
The National Agronomy and Horticulture Awards honoured and recognised the contributions made by various crop value chain actors towards the growth of the agronomy and horticulture industries.
This year, 42 actors took part, and AvaGro from the central production zone scooped the Master Crop Value Chain Actor of the Year award.
The Namibia Agronomic Board aims to capacitate local farmers to increase their yields and realise Namibia's food self-sufficiency.
The Board is responsible for promoting the agronomic industry and facilitating the production, processing, storage, and marketing of controlled agricultural products in the country.
Its CEO, Dr. Fidelis Mwazi, sheds some light on this.
The National Democratic Party (NDP) is calling on the Namibian government to invest more in the agricultural sector to address poverty and unemployment.
The party president, Martin Lukato, said that Zambezi Region can become the country's breadbasket but lacks fully fledged agricultural projects such as green schemes that can contribute to the country's development and food security.
The Gobabis Municipality has committed to providing 250 hectares of town land for agriculture to address food insecurity. This came after various non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders promised to assist the malnutrition-stricken region with sustainable food production projects through the office of the Omaheke Governor.
Japan's Ambassador to Namibia, Hisao Nishimaki, says he is impressed with the strides made by horticulture producers in the Kavango West Region. Japan has provided N$2 million to be used for horticulture-related training and equipment in the region.
The Ambassador's visit included a stopover with the Governor of the region as well as with representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN. They visited a number of small-scale projects where they assessed progress made since Nishimaki's first visit last year.
There is a shortfall of about N$600 million to implement the Namibian government's drought relief programme.
Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila says the Disaster Risk Fund under her office only has about N$200 million, while the whole programme needs funding of up to N$800 million.
The Minister in the Presidency, Christine ||Hoebes, is urging farmers at Tsjaka and surrounding villages to change their methods of farming to increase food security.
||Hoebes remarked this at the official opening of the Tsjaka Agricultural and Industrial Show 2023 in the Kalahari Constituency.||Hoebes emphasised that it is time that farming communities move away from keeping large herds of livestock and add additional components to their farming practices.
She urged stakeholders to assist farmers in this regard.
Otjozondjupa Governor James Uerikua has cautioned that the exportation of livestock on hooves will collapse the already struggling local abattoirs and feedlot throughputs.
Uerikua shared these remarks at the official opening of the Okamatapati Agricultural and Industrial Expo.
He says the export of over 2,500 weaners on hooves to South Africa in 2022 alone is concerning, and some farmers are now seeking alternative markets to get value for their livestock.
