More than N$800,000 has been recovered in rental fees from 58 resettled farmers in the Erongo region since independence.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform says resettlement farms in the region are also experiencing water issues, defaulting on lease fees, vandalism, and a lack of infrastructure.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Natural Resources is in the Erongo region on a two-day mission to find out if resettlement farms are thriving or failing.

There are online scammers that have been targeting various Government agencies; one of the most recent is the Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform.

nbc News anchor Celma Ndhikwa spoke to Jona Musheko, the Ministry's spokesperson, about recent scams targeting farmers.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform has clarified that the N$98 million allegedly returned to Treasury was never disbursed to the ministry.

In a media statement, the ministry said it is therefore incorrect for anyone to insinuate that the money would be used for corrupt activities.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform will be carrying out an awareness campaign on the Namibia Livestock Identification and Traceability System and stock brands.

The campaign will be undertaken by the ministry's Directorate of Veterinary Services and the Meat Board of Namibia from the 17th of this month until the 31st of October.

The purpose of the campaign is to raise awareness and educate farmers on the appropriate use of cattle eartags and stock brands, as well as provide guidance on how to register on NamLITS online.

The Minister of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform, Carl Schlettwein, says MeatCo still remains a crucial entity in the meat market and that it has no immediate replacement.

Schlettwein noted that although the government cannot keep up with bailing out MeatCo all the time, there are currently no plans to replace the entity, and it remains the heartbeat of the livestock sector.

The Ministry of Agriculture is set to strengthen its agricultural sector and promote food self-sufficiency through the introduction of the Livestock and Livestock Products Amendment Bill.

The proposed amendments to the Meat Industry Act of 1981 aim to expand its scope to include the dairy and poultry industries, which have been facing challenges due to imported goods flooding the market.

Community members in Otjimbingwe and the surrounding areas have emphasised the importance of involving community development organisations in the allocation and registration of communal land rights for groups.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform is consulting with stakeholders in the Erongo Region and other areas regarding the formulation of regulations for the allocation of communal land rights to groups.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform (MAWLR), in collaboration with the Centre for Coordination of Agriculture Research and Development (CCARDESA), embarked on a three-day training workshop on the Malabo Declaration Commitments on Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation for Shared Prosperity and Improved Livelihoods and Knowledge Management.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform has intervened in a water crisis at Omatjete that has been ongoing for years.

The Ministry will be sourcing water from a village near Omatjete to mitigate the ongoing shortage of water in the village.

Situated more than 200 km from Otjiwarongo, Omatjete Village has faced challenges in terms of water availability since even before independence.

About 15 years ago, the regional council installed boreholes and linked them to the reservoir to provide water to the community.

The All People's Party (APP) Secretary General, Vincent Kanyetu, has accused the Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform of abandoning the Mashare Agriculture Development Institute (MADI).

Kanyetu says the institute was a hub of research and innovation in its heyday and lived up to its mandate of developing agriculture in the Kavango regions.

The APP leader visited the institute to familiarise himself with the situation after allegedly receiving information that research activities were at a halt.