Deal sealed to boost communal farming

GOVERNMENT yesterday signed a N$37,6 million grant agreement with a leading German bank for the drilling of boreholes and erection of fences in communal areas.

Negotiations between Namibia and the KfW Bank were finalised recently and the agreement, called “infrastructure investment related to land reform”, is set to pave the way for improvements at small-scale farms in communal areas. A portion of the money will also go towards training farmers.At the signing ceremony in Windhoek, Lands Permanent Secretary Frans Tsheehama said that several areas, including the Eiseb Block and Tsumkwe, had already been identified, and that the N$37,6 million would help improve underutilised land covering five million hectares.Minister of Lands Jerry Ekandjo said development of underutilised land in communal areas was one of the Ministry’s priority areas and was in line with the millennium development goals of poverty reduction in rural areas.He said they had already put in place a structure to manage and oversee the implementation of the project.KfW representative Dr Christof Kessler said the agreement was finalised after lengthy discussions and they hoped that Namibia’s land reform programme would gain momentum.A portion of the money will also go towards training farmers.At the signing ceremony in Windhoek, Lands Permanent Secretary Frans Tsheehama said that several areas, including the Eiseb Block and Tsumkwe, had already been identified, and that the N$37,6 million would help improve underutilised land covering five million hectares.Minister of Lands Jerry Ekandjo said development of underutilised land in communal areas was one of the Ministry’s priority areas and was in line with the millennium development goals of poverty reduction in rural areas.He said they had already put in place a structure to manage and oversee the implementation of the project.KfW representative Dr Christof Kessler said the agreement was finalised after lengthy discussions and they hoped that Namibia’s land reform programme would gain momentum.