Matthew Dlamini

The recent good rains in the country and the resurgence of green scheme projects mean the country is heading towards self-sufficiency in white corn.

 This was stated by Calle Schlettwein, Minister for Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, at the Annual Staff and Stakeholders’ Address held in Windhoek yesterday, with hopes that this will be achieved by 2024/25. expressed.

 He said the ministry’s focus this year will be on sectors in all three dimensions: food and water security, poverty eradication, wealth creation, agriculture as a catalyst for the systemic erosion of income inequality, and water and land reform. said to activate and upgrade.

According to Schlettwein, the agricultural sector registered moderate growth in 2022, estimated at 3.6%, thanks to increased activity in both livestock and plant subsectors.

Highlighting this year’s achievements and key priorities, Schlettwein said: The Uvhungu Vhungu and Orange River Irrigation Project and the Uvhungu Vhungu Dairy Project were called for private sector involvement, in line with their stated political intentions. “These are now in the evaluation and decision-making stage. As this process unfolded, the Ministry, with public support, moved these assets, which had been underutilized for many years, into production. Uvhungu Vhungu Dairy was recently awarded a joint venture in Namibia and India for 25 years,” he said.

He said his three other green plans, Shady Kongolo, Sikondo and Etanda, have not yet been promoted and remain with the ministry.

“In some of these projects, the winter crop (wheat) was grown and harvested and now the summer crop (corn) is being grown,” Schlettwein said, adding that with a total of 776 hectares, these An average of 7,000 tonnes of white corn will be produced from its green system, he added. . He said this will double last year’s corn yields from the Museet, Mashalet and Citemo green programs.

“If all goes according to plan, the yield of 14,000 tons, excluding the products of small and medium-sized farmers, will exceed the current National Strategic Food Reserve of 11,000 tons,” the minister pointed out.

According to him, the domestic demand for his corn from April 2022 to December was 136,204 tons, of which 97,534 tons were produced domestically and 38,670 tons were imported.

On land reform, Schlettwein notes that priority action plans have been prepared to implement 134 of the 176 draft resolutions of the Second National Land Congress, which are currently underway, and that stakeholders are responsible for implementation. said there is.

“The Namibian municipality land management system is developed, fully operational and in sync with the regional database, a revised resettlement policy has been approved, and resettlement standards have needs to be completed,” he said. The Ministry acquired 6 farms totaling 27,892 ha at a cost of N$59.3 million and two other farms near the Neckar Valley Dam totaling 11,177.4 ha at a cost of N$5. $7 million to enable the development of irrigation projects, he said.

Schlettwein said Namibia’s high priority on water security continues to be due to the country’s vulnerability to climate change and variability as a dry country.

He said the main intervention programs in this area relate to improving existing water infrastructure, building new water supply infrastructure, improving management of existing water resources and strengthening cross-border water cooperation. rice field.

Regarding the supply of large amounts of water, the ministry and Namwater are implementing a water sector assistance scheme in which the government, Namwater and the African Development Bank jointly fund him N$4.8 billion.