‘Miracle’ harvest to fetch Zambezi farmers N$20 million

The Agro-Marketing and Trade Agency (Amta) plans to buy 2 500 tonnes of white maize valued at N$19.9 million from farmers in the Zambezi region expecting a bumper harvest this season.

They are expected to produce 5 000 tonnes of white maize.

Amta spokesperson Pasval Elijah says the procurement will not be limited to the 2 500 tonnes, as the agency is ready to procure any surplus maize farmers may have.

“This substantial procurement demonstrates Amta’s commitment to providing farmers with reliable markets for their produce while ensuring food security for Namibian consumers. Furthermore, we will also take up any surplus maize that will be left after the other half of the white maize is procured by local millers from the region,” she says.

Elijah says the agency will also procure mahangu from the Zambezi region this year, where farmers are expecting a bumper harvest of this as well.

She implores farmers to ensure they confirm their registration allocation through the Namibian Agronomic Board (NAB), respective farmers’ union, and agricultural development centre.

“Amta’s team is ready and remains available to guide farmers through the entire procurement process, ensuring seamless participation in the procurement activities,” she says.

Elijah also revealed that between February and April, they successfully procured 8.4 tonnes of pumpkin from farmers in the Zambezi region, valued at N$55 000.

She says this is an indication that “Amta is committed to supporting the entire agricultural value chain as mandated by the government to create streams of income and market opportunities for farmers to contribute positively to food security, poverty reduction, employment creation, and overall economic development”.

Likwama Farmers’ Union chairperson Alfred Chilinda says the bumper harvest is nothing short of a miracle, as farmers faced numerous challenges such as armyworm and locust outbreaks, as well as uncertain rain patterns experienced in the region.

He says the farmers have started threshing their produce of white maize, mahangu, and sorghum.

“Last year, we only produced 400 tonnes due to drought and other challenges. However, this year we have come out triumphant as our harvest has exceeded our expectations. We are also fortunate that we have millers such as Amta, Kamunu, and others that are ready to buy our produce,” he says.

Chilinda says Amta is also assisting the farmers with transport, as they provided a truck with cheaper rates that farmers can jointly rent to transport their produce to the agency’s office in town.

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