GOVERNMENT bought 45 farms for resettlement purposes during the last financial year, a significant increase from the 2005-2006 period when 19 farms were bought.
Of these 54 farms, five were expropriated, Deputy Minister of Lands and Resettlement Isak Katali said in Parliament yesterday. Katali was speaking during the motivation of his Ministry’s N$140 million budget vote.This represents an increase of 11 per cent compared to the Ministry’s allocation for the previous year.”Reversing the unequal distribution of land remains the cardinal objective of our land reform efforts,” Katali said, adding that N$88,5 million of the Ministry’s budget allocation would go on resettlement projects.”Our current focus on resettlement is to enhance capacity among resettled beneficiaries and to improve support programmes to ensure sustainability.We want them to contribute to overall agricultural production,” Katali said.He added that his Ministry had recently commissioned a number of studies on the economics of land use in resettlement, the results of which would now be assessed and suggestions for improvements made.Most of the farms acquired last year were in the Omaheke Region, where 14 farms were bought for N$24,2 million.This was followed by the Karas Region, where 13 farms valued at N$8,6 million were acquired.Katali further elaborated on his Ministry’s efforts to support San communities.He said that 14 houses had been built for them during the last year at resettlement projects at Okongo and Tsintsabis.Another 10 houses are currently under construction at the Eendobe project, he said, while efforts are underway to resettle the Hai//om group on farms around the Etosha National Park.Katali was speaking during the motivation of his Ministry’s N$140 million budget vote.This represents an increase of 11 per cent compared to the Ministry’s allocation for the previous year.”Reversing the unequal distribution of land remains the cardinal objective of our land reform efforts,” Katali said, adding that N$88,5 million of the Ministry’s budget allocation would go on resettlement projects.”Our current focus on resettlement is to enhance capacity among resettled beneficiaries and to improve support programmes to ensure sustainability.We want them to contribute to overall agricultural production,” Katali said.He added that his Ministry had recently commissioned a number of studies on the economics of land use in resettlement, the results of which would now be assessed and suggestions for improvements made. Most of the farms acquired last year were in the Omaheke Region, where 14 farms were bought for N$24,2 million.This was followed by the Karas Region, where 13 farms valued at N$8,6 million were acquired.Katali further elaborated on his Ministry’s efforts to support San communities.He said that 14 houses had been built for them during the last year at resettlement projects at Okongo and Tsintsabis.Another 10 houses are currently under construction at the Eendobe project, he said, while efforts are underway to resettle the Hai//om group on farms around the Etosha National Park.
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