The agricultural sector, through the multiplication of seed-related activities, created temporary employment of 4 519 people.

President Hage Geingob, while delivering the 2023 State of the Region Address on Thursday, said several achievements can be reported to ensure Namibia achieves a measure of household and national food security and record zero deaths from hunger.

The Namibia Agriculture Mechanisation and Seed Implementation Programme (NAMSIP), he said, procured various machinery and equipment for use by crop and livestock farmers.

These, he explained, have been distributed to the agricultural development centres, where farmers are able to access them for farming operations.

In addition, the government, through NAMSIP, supported the production of 1 060 tons and 117 tons of certified and foundation seeds.

Meanwhile, the head of state said in recognition of the rising high cost of living, the old age social grant had been increased four times from the initial amount of N.dollars 600 in 2015 to the current grant of N.dollars 1 400.

“This grant has proven overall positive impact in stemming poverty among poor families across the country,” he said.

The coverage for this grant, he added, stands at 97 per cent of beneficiaries in 2023.

Geingob further revealed that in 2022, government spent N.dollars 104 million on the national school feeding programm, reaching 320 000 school-going children at primary and secondary schools.

More than 30 per cent of the total population receives a government grant in one way or another, which translates to approximately 620 000 individuals, not considering the multiplier effect of beneficiaries per household, he added.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency