Kavango, Caprivi can be the breadbasket of Namibia, says Mutorwa

The Minister of Agriculture, Water and Forestry John Mutorwa says the Kavango and Caprivi regions have the potential to replace Namibia’s imports of cereals and horticultural products.

Mutorwa was responding to questions posed earlier by National Unity Democratic Organisation MP Arnold Tjihuiko on Thursday. He said agriculture is generally limited to the north of Namibia where water is less scarce, especially in the Kavango and Caprivi regions, which receive between 500 mm to 700 mm of rain per year.”Namibia imports between 70 per cent and 80 per cent of cereals and horticultural products for human consumption annually.”The Caprivi and Kavango regions have the potential to become the breadbaskets for Namibia, and could replace these imports because of their favourable climatic conditions and fertile soils,” he noted.”These two regions also have the potential to supply livestock products to local and international markets, and this can improve the livelihoods of many Namibians,” he stressed.He added that natural phenomena such as droughts, floods and outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease hamper the optimal exploitation of the agricultural potential in these regions.Mutorwa said government started an incentive scheme in 2007 to fully exploit the potential of these areas.The incentive scheme deals with the provision of support services to dry-land crop farmers in the crop-growing regions.”This deals with the provision of ploughing services, seeds, fertilisers as well as weeding.The scheme shall also be accompanied by some limited amounts for the procurement of cereals from dry-land crop farmers to be stored in the recently constructed silos,” the minister explained.He said although vaccination campaigns continue to be conducted in the Kavango and Caprivi regions against the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease and lung sickness, there is a continual presence of the disease in eastern Caprivi that threatens the livestock.Mutorwa said it is reported that buffalos that entered Namibia from Botswana are spreading this disease.NampaHe said agriculture is generally limited to the north of Namibia where water is less scarce, especially in the Kavango and Caprivi regions, which receive between 500 mm to 700 mm of rain per year.”Namibia imports between 70 per cent and 80 per cent of cereals and horticultural products for human consumption annually.”The Caprivi and Kavango regions have the potential to become the breadbaskets for Namibia, and could replace these imports because of their favourable climatic conditions and fertile soils,” he noted.”These two regions also have the potential to supply livestock products to local and international markets, and this can improve the livelihoods of many Namibians,” he stressed.He added that natural phenomena such as droughts, floods and outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease hamper the optimal exploitation of the agricultural potential in these regions.Mutorwa said government started an incentive scheme in 2007 to fully exploit the potential of these areas.The incentive scheme deals with the provision of support services to dry-land crop farmers in the crop-growing regions.”This deals with the provision of ploughing services, seeds, fertilisers as well as weeding.The scheme shall also be accompanied by some limited amounts for the procurement of cereals from dry-land crop farmers to be stored in the recently constructed silos,” the minister explained.He said although vaccination campaigns continue to be conducted in the Kavango and Caprivi regions against the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease and lung sickness, there is a continual presence of the disease in eastern Caprivi that threatens the livestock.Mutorwa said it is reported that buffalos that entered Namibia from Botswana are spreading this disease.Nampa