The Zambezi Regional Council has assured livestock farmers that supplementary livestock feed donated by the Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia (EIF) will be transported from Rundu to Katima Mulilo this week.
In an interview with Nampa on Friday, council director of planning, monitoring and evaluation Beaven Walubita said the donation pledged on 17 July and valued at N$500 000 will be transported to the Zambezi region today or tomorrow.
His assurance comes amid concerns from farmers who approached Nampa regarding the whereabouts of the feed.
The pledge was made to assist flood-affected farmers in the region and will be transported from Agra at Rundu, where it was purchased, to Katima Mulilo.
The supplementary livestock feed includes nutritional lick blocks, commonly known as cow-calf lick, among others expected to benefit 3 000 livestock farmers in the Kabbe North, Kabbe South, and Katima Mulilo Rural constituencies who were severely affected by seasonal floods.
“We have had transport and fuel challenges. Our natural disaster budget was slim, and the quarterly funds made available by the Office of the Prime Minister to the regional council for April, May, and June had lapsed,” Walubita explained.
The director also clarified that control administration officers in the three affected constituencies carried out assessments and drafted a list of severely affected farmers who will benefit from the donation.
“The fewer affected farmers in a constituency, the fewer bags of feed that constituency is likely to receive. Because the feed is very little, it may result in a one-farmer-to-one-sack ratio per constituency,” he said.
The EIF’s donation follows requests for assistance submitted by the Zambezi Regional Council to various corporate organisations during the floods.
Speaking at the recent official handover ceremony, EIF chief human capital and corporate services officer Elvis Mukaya reaffirmed the fund’s commitment to supporting communities in the Zambezi region and beyond.
“No community should face the impacts of climate-induced disasters alone,” Mukaya said.
Mukaya noted that while the donation provides much-needed relief, it presents an opportunity to strengthen local agricultural production. – Nampa
