Zambezi records bumper maize harvest

GOVERNMENT is happy that small-scale farmers in the Zambezi region produced a record bumper harvest of 8 000 tonnes of white maize this year as this was a step towards ensuring food security in the country.

This was said by agriculture deputy minister Anna Shiweda at Katima Mulilo during a Namibia Agronomic Board (NAB) event to award champion communal grain farmers in the region this month.

In a media release, NAB announced that Alex Siseho from Linyanti village was selected the Zambezi region dry land white maize champion farmer and Fred Mwabi the mahangu champion producer for 2017.

The runners-up were Charles Mutelo (maize) and Eris Likando (mahangu).

Siseho sold 16 tonnes of maize to the national food reserves. According the deputy minister, the previous highest crop produced was 6 000 tonnes and does not include food kept for the farmers’ consumption, proving that government’s support to small-scale farmers was bearing fruit.

Siseho ploughed his field with a government tractor and hired local labour for planting. He grows maize on 10 hectares.

Shiweda said government’s support for small-scale farmers will be intensified, specifically making reference to the Harambee comprehensively coordinated and integrated agricultural development programme (Hacciadep), which she said had already been approved by Cabinet.

“When the programme kicks off, the agricultural mechanisation and seed system development schemes will receive the highest priority.

This will assist especially rural grain producers to access agricultural machinery to prepare the land as well as quality locally produced seed,” she said.

Under the Agro Marketing and Trade Agency (Amta) grain procurement programme, farmers can now sell surplus grain to the national food reserves silos in their areas and avoid huge transport costs to central Amta stores.

The NAB provided the N$26 million with which Amta bought the grain from farmers.

Shiweda expressed concern over the continued smuggling of cheap maize from Zambia as it was undermining efforts by Namibians to produce their own food.

NAB chairperson Michael Iyambo said it was impossible to create an environment conducive to local production if efforts by the NAB and its agencies to eradicate smuggling from Zambia are not embraced.

“A high level of cooperation is needed between the community, authorities such as Amta, the police and border officials to eradicate this problem,” he said.

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