The Musese Green Scheme in the Kavango West region recorded a maize harvest of about 4 800 tonnes this season after excessive rainfall damaged crops during the early stages of production.
The scheme’s private operator, Winni Metzger, says the heavy rainfall at the start of the rainy season affected maize production on the farm.
“There was too much rain at the beginning of the rainy season when the maize was small,” he says, adding that the rain also resulted in large amounts of weeds competing with maize crops for nutrients and growth.
Metzger says 600 hectares were planted with maize at the green scheme last October, while harvesting began last month.
The Musese Green Scheme is one of Namibia’s oldest irrigation projects, established in 1977.
Apart from maize production, Metzger has in recent years expanded into animal feed and cooking oil production.
At Musese, 15 maize fields measuring between 42 and 52 hectares are managed by the private operator, while 10 plots of 12 hectares each are allocated to small-scale farmers.
Metzger says private management remains the best model for the success of green schemes.
“The best way to make green schemes thrive in Namibia is to place them in the hands of private operators because this
gives a sense of ownership to such an operation and he or she will be devoted to its operation,” he says.
He says managers employed by the government may not always have the same level of commitment.
“One must be devoted to the work so that the project can prosper.”
