Green Scheme initiative posts promising results

THE Green Scheme programme, a government initiative under the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, has recorded good performances.

According to a statement from Agribusdev, an SOE that manages the green schemes; the programme was introduced to improve national food security under the Green Scheme Policy of 2008.

While the prime goal of the programme is to ensure food security, a number of further benefits have accrued from it in line with the social progression pillar of the Harambee Prosperity Plan, said the statement.

A number of indicators signal good performance across all eleven green scheme irrigation projects/farms. In particular, increase in agronomic production, employment creation, value addition and financial performance are specific outcomes.

Maize production: Namibia needs about 152 000 tonnes of white maize a year but the annual national production is estimated to be 71 305 tonnes, with a deficit of 82 527 tonnes which is imported.

In the year 2015/16, the Ggreen scheme accounted for 24.9% of national maize production. This is the highest harvest record of the programme compared to all previous productions.

However, the trend shows a positive direction with the 2015/16 year producing 17 829 tonnes, an increase of 3 781 tonnes on the previous year.

Agricultural sector performance is influenced by many challenges such as climate change, outbreak of pest and diseases and regulations, which also affects the green scheme. Most green scheme harvests are sold to the National Strategic Food Reserves under management of Agro-Marketing and Trade Agency (AMTA).

Wheat production: The total annual consumption of wheat in Namibia is estimated at 114 635 tonnes.

According to 2014/15 statistics, a total of 11 600 MT was produced locally supplemented by import volume of 103 065 tonnes. Green schemes contributed 5 447 tonnes accounting for 46,9% to national production.

The period 2012/13 is regarded as the baseline year of all subsequent production years. The period 2013/14 and 2014/15 recorded 7 185 and 6 641 tonnes respectively.

Year 2015/16 recorded harvest of 5 447 tonnes less than the baseline year harvest. Notably, wheat is a winter crop and its performance is supported typically by a sustained winter period. The 2015/16 winter season experienced a shorter duration resulting in lower production yield and quality.

Vegetable production: There has been significant improvement in vegetable production during 2015/16 over the previous years. Potatos were the leading product in year 2015/16 with a record harvest of 2 500 tonnes. Butternuts, onions, cabbages, water-melons and gem squash also performed slightly higher than the previous periods with harvest records of 630 tonnes, 500 tonnes, 230 tonnes, 200 tonnes and 210 tonnes respectively.

Rice production: The Kalimbeza green scheme is the only project that produces rice. All three varieties grown there are white rice. Two new varieties – the basmati and Sahel – have been added to the production line. Upon good performance, these varieties will be added to the market soon.

The total volume produced during the 2015/16 financial year was 120 tonnes an increase from 70 tonnes in year 2014/15. The farm is expanding its irrigable land and improving its farming method and GAP compliance on food safety and environmental sustenance.

Dates and Grapes: these are grown at the Orange River green scheme farm. Over 80% of the products are exported. A total of 95 395 cartons of grapes were exported to the European Union in 2015/16 while 25 768 cartons of dates were exported to the Middle East during the same period.

Employment Creation: employment rose over 100% in the year from a complement of 2 877 employees in 2014/15 to 6 874 employees including permanent and temporary staff.

Financial performance: The financial performance reported are for seven green scheme projects/farms. Revenue for 2015/16 was N$108 112 302 while for 2014/15 it was N$103 606 841.

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.