Pohamba reassures farmers

GOVERNMENT has assured commercial farmers that there will be no arbitrary take over of farms but called on those with excessive land to let go of some of it to prevent expropriation.

Addressing a Meatco prize-giving ceremony in Windhoek on Friday, Lands, Resettlement and Rehabilitation Minister Hifikepunye Pohamba urged land barons to seriously consider giving up part of their farms to Government at a reasonable price for redistribution to the needy. He said Government had identified “a number of farms” for acquisition but, so far “no single farm has been expropriated”.”However letters of intent to acquire agricultural land, so identified, were served to some identified farm owners where Government showed some interest,” Pohamba said.He said the Government consulted the Land Reform Advisory Commission (LRAC) although that was “not a hard and fast approach”.Pohamba said the willing-seller willing-buyer principle of acquiring land had proven to be very slow.Since Independence, he said, Government bought 137 farms comprising approximately 874 155 hectares.Around 1 526 families have been resettled on the farms.He said the “limited success” was due to farmers offering unsuitable land for the resettlement.”Although the initial announcement of the expropriation created fears nationally and internationally, expropriation is not new in Namibia.Already in the 1960s more than 400 farms were expropriated, in terms of the notorious Odendaal plan, to establish the homelands of then apartheid regime,” said Pohamba.He said expropriation will continue without disturbing peace, stability and agricultural production in the country.”For these reasons, we first approach farmers to offer their land rather than to expropriate it without the necessary consultations,” he said.He said Government had identified “a number of farms” for acquisition but, so far “no single farm has been expropriated”.”However letters of intent to acquire agricultural land, so identified, were served to some identified farm owners where Government showed some interest,” Pohamba said.He said the Government consulted the Land Reform Advisory Commission (LRAC) although that was “not a hard and fast approach”.Pohamba said the willing-seller willing-buyer principle of acquiring land had proven to be very slow.Since Independence, he said, Government bought 137 farms comprising approximately 874 155 hectares.Around 1 526 families have been resettled on the farms.He said the “limited success” was due to farmers offering unsuitable land for the resettlement.”Although the initial announcement of the expropriation created fears nationally and internationally, expropriation is not new in Namibia.Already in the 1960s more than 400 farms were expropriated, in terms of the notorious Odendaal plan, to establish the homelands of then apartheid regime,” said Pohamba.He said expropriation will continue without disturbing peace, stability and agricultural production in the country.”For these reasons, we first approach farmers to offer their land rather than to expropriate it without the necessary consultations,” he said.