The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform has in the 2021 financial year, spent N.dollars 88.6 million to acquire ten farms, translating to about 41 288.9 hectares of land, for the national resettlement programme.
This was announced by the Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform Calle Schlettwein, on Monday while highlighting the ministry’s performance for the year 2021, during his ministry’s annual general staff meeting here.
He said that 164 resettled farmers were provided with training in relevant fields of farming, and the ministry procured materials and equipment for the development and rehabilitation of resettlement farms to the tune of N.dollars 22.5 million. To date, the ministry completed installation on 114 resettlement farming units countrywide and has registered a total of 6233 customary land rights, 27 leaseholds and 63 occupational land rights in communal areas.
‘A total of 79 tonnage of quality foundation seed and 17 tonnage certified seed and 62 tonnage were produced at the research stations and already distributed for this cropping season. A total of 2294 community and backyard gardens, together with 4163 horticulture producers were supported and advised,’ said Schlettwein.
Agriculture, he said accounts for the livelihoods of about 70 per cent of the country’s population, therefore attaining food self-sufficiency in Namibia constitute an important pillar of national interest and security which require the support of all Namibians especially the graduates in Agriculture.
The ministry has therefore decided that young unemployed graduates who are passionate about agriculture should be afforded the opportunity to contribute to food production. The Ministry is finalising an implementation modality of this initiative.
‘On the natural disaster front, the country continued to experience waves of the locust outbreak in several regions such as Zambezi, Kavango East, Kavango West, Ohangwena, Oshikoto, Oshana, Omusati, Hardap and ||Kharas, and the outbreak of the brown locust in Hardap and ||Kharas regions still persist. We are seized with combating these outbreaks by intensifying spraying programme, thanks to the support by development partners and the farmers at large,’ stated Schlettwein.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
