Deadline for expected maize harvest submissions

The Namibian Agronomic Board (NAB) has urged all white maize grain producers to submit estimated harvests to be marketed during the 2024 marketing season.

According to a notice issued by NAB chief executive Fidelis Mwazi, in line with the Agronomic Industry Act and grain marketing rules, all registered producers are obliged to furnish the NAB with expected production information of controlled crops before the commencement of the marketing season.

Mwazi says the directive was designed to enable the NAB to efficiently facilitate the marketing of locally produced grain.

“We hereby invite registered farmers who intend to market white maize grain to processors and/or silo operators to submit their expected crop production data collection form to the NAB,” he says.

Explaining the requirements further, NAB spokesperson Auguste Fabian says it is crucial for producers to provide their expected harvest figures, as it allows the NAB to effectively implement import restrictions.

“When there is sufficient local production, we can close borders, prioritising the consumption of locally grown produce before considering imports. Without this information, the effectiveness of these import restrictions would be negatively affected,” she says.

Fabian says the submissions of expected harvests by farmers assist the NAB to produce accurate grain production forecast reports that inform the industry of local production trends.

In the fluctuation of expected harvests due to drought, Fabian says: “To maintain data accuracy, the NAB conducts field verification visits to confirm the validity of the collected information.”

Mwazi warns farmers who fail to submit the completed forms by the given deadline that they will not be allowed to market their grain until the completed forms have been submitted to the NAB.

The deadlines for the submission of the expected crop production data collection forms from the Kavango, north-central, Karst, central and southern regions are 15 March, while the deadline for the Zambezi region is 30 April.

“We advise new and unregistered farmers to first complete the producer registration form and then the expected crop production data collection form, which can be accessed on the NAB website,” Mwazi says.

– email: matthew@namibian.com.na