A one-day farmers' day event aimed at equipping farmers with knowledge on vaccines and livestock diseases was poorly attended by farmers in the Okakarara constituency.

This is even though the Otjozondjupa Region is battling an outbreak of lumpy skin disease.

On Friday, the Veterinary Directorate in the Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform issued a warning of the lumpy skin disease outbreak in the Okakarara constituency.

However, only a few farmers showed up at the farmers' day information and engagement session held at Ombujovakuru Ekuva. 

The Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform maintains a 70/30 ratio allocation in favour of those who have been displaced through revised resettlement criteria and the newly approved National Resettlement Policy.

In response to Rally for Democracy and Progress' (RDP) MP Kennedy Shekupakela's inquiry about stranded individuals waiting for resettlement on various farms, Deputy Minister Anna Shiweda stated that the ministry is actively working with stakeholders, including the Ministry of Finance, to increase budget allocations for the Land Acquisition Programme.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform (MAWLR) has proposed that resettlement farmers who demonstrate productivity be eligible to receive a title to the land. 

This initiative aims to transform them from leaseholders with the government as landlords into owners of a tangible asset.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform has appointed an eight-member Veterinary Council of Namibia board.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform has announced the resumption of the importation of poultry meat from South Africa to Namibia.

This was revealed in a notice issued by the Directorate of Veterinary Services.

The Ministry says it should be noted that only poultry meat derived from live poultry originating from bio-secure poultry farms, as listed by the Veterinary Authority of South Africa, will be permitted to be imported into Namibia.

In response to mounting concerns over the state of the livestock sector in the country, particularly in the Northern Communal Areas (NCA), the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Economics and Public Administration has initiated a series of oversight visits. 

The visits are scheduled to take place from the 12th to the 24th of this month.

The committee will investigate the condition of quarantine farms, camps, facilities, and abattoirs in the NCAs and propose actionable recommendations.

A newly released report by the Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform has recommended that the government declare a drought a national emergency.

This follows the effects of drought findings across the country due to low rainfall.

The assessment was conducted in the seven major northern communal drop-producing regions between February 12 and March 11 this year. 

Maize, millet, sorghum, and wheat are estimated to be 53% lower than the last season's harvest. 

Residents of Oikuku and Ohamukwata villages in the Ohangwena Region now have access to potable water after three decades of waiting.

The project is being carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform and the Office of the Prime Minister at a cost of N$3.6 million.

Ohangwena Governor Sebastian Ndeitunga urged beneficiaries to use water wisely and guard against vandalism.

The borehole can supply water to seven water points, cutting the long distances villagers had to travel in search of water.

Leaders in the Omaheke Region have advised the Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform to revise the resettlement qualifying criteria in the Resettlement Policy. 

The leaders are of the view that the criteria fall short of addressing the pressing need for resettlement for agricultural purposes.

Kalahari Constituency Councillor Iganatius Kariseb said although the policy has been adopted by the Cabinet, it is not addressing the issue of fencing land that will continue to affect vulnerable groups in the region.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform's (MAWLR) head of rural water supply and sanitation in Oshikoto, Stevenson Tuukondjele, said that by the look of things, they might experience water crises worse than last year.

Tuukondjele said that residents of the Eengodi, Okankolo, and Nehale lyaMpingana constituencies in the Oshikoto Region might experience a more serious water crisis this year compared to the one they experienced last year.