Grim food security prospects for northeast

THE FOOD security situation in the Kavango and Caprivi regions has deteriorated significantly and most households have called on the Government to rescue them.

Since January the people in these two regions mainly surviving on subsistence farming had depleted their food stock from previous harvests and now struggle to make ends meet. This is contained in the latest Namibia Early Warning and Food Information Unit bulletin.According to the bulletin heavy rain, coupled with floods from Angola and the army worms, have forced people from Kavango and Caprivi regions to rely on selling wild fruits, fishing in the river, casual labour, old age pensions and grants for vulnerable children.The bulletin said the people in the Oshana and Oshikoto regions not only faced the floods but also army worms which pose “a major threat to crops and pasture”.The constituencies affected included all in Oshana, except Ompundja as well as Onyaanya, Onayena, Olukonda, Omuntele, Oniipa and Omuthiya.The worms have destroyed crops and pasture leaving the ground bare.The Directorate of Extention and Engineering Services in the Ministry of Agriculture has moved in applying pesticide in the infested areas.Despite the floods and heavy rains, the early warning bulletin said they expected a 10 per cent increase to last year in output of white maize, pearl millet, wheat and sorghum this year.Namibia had a very poor harvest last year.The aggregate coarse grain production of 125 000 tonnes was above the six year average of 119 600 tonnes.This is contained in the latest Namibia Early Warning and Food Information Unit bulletin.According to the bulletin heavy rain, coupled with floods from Angola and the army worms, have forced people from Kavango and Caprivi regions to rely on selling wild fruits, fishing in the river, casual labour, old age pensions and grants for vulnerable children.The bulletin said the people in the Oshana and Oshikoto regions not only faced the floods but also army worms which pose “a major threat to crops and pasture”. The constituencies affected included all in Oshana, except Ompundja as well as Onyaanya, Onayena, Olukonda, Omuntele, Oniipa and Omuthiya.The worms have destroyed crops and pasture leaving the ground bare.The Directorate of Extention and Engineering Services in the Ministry of Agriculture has moved in applying pesticide in the infested areas.Despite the floods and heavy rains, the early warning bulletin said they expected a 10 per cent increase to last year in output of white maize, pearl millet, wheat and sorghum this year.Namibia had a very poor harvest last year.The aggregate coarse grain production of 125 000 tonnes was above the six year average of 119 600 tonnes.