Green Scheme project praised
Vice-president Nickey Iyambo says Green Scheme projects can help achieve food security if all 27 000 hectares are under irrigation.
Vice-president Nickey Iyambo described his six-day visit to the Kavango West and East regions as a resounding success.
Iyambo, accompanied by the minister of agriculture, water and forestry, John Mutorwa, and deputy minister of environment and tourism, Tommy Nambahu, undertook the visit to acquaint himself with issues such as human-wildlife conflict, armyworms decimating crops, and unemployment.
He was impressed with what he had seen, saying he was under the impression that the army worms had done a lot of damage to irrigation schemes and elephants had finished all the crops.
“Yes, they have done some damage, but there are prospects of a good harvest,” Iyambo told Nampa before he left for Windhoek on Tuesday afternoon.
He was confident that if the government put 27 000 hectares of the agriculture schemes under irrigation, Namibia would be food self-reliant by 2030. About 12 000 hectares are currently under irrigation.
“Of course, we should be mindful of natural occurrences such as prolonged droughts, floods as well as armyworms try to waste our development efforts.”
Iyambo said he had instructed Mutorwa to do a crop assessment in the two Kavango regions and estimate the cereal shortfall that would have to be covered by imports.
He commended the Green Scheme managers and small-scale farmers for producing food despite the challenges.
The main challenge at the moment is waterlogging because of the high rainfall received this year, which forced replanting on some fields, while other fields were too wet for replanting.
Other challenges include cash-flow problems that resulted in late planting, and human-wildlife conflict.
On the meetings with local communities, Iyambo said all went according to plan. Young people, women, farmers, people with disabilities and church leaders came together and discussed issues peacefully.
“We interrogated issues guided by the fact that we as Namibians are equal partners and investors in the shared destiny of an inclusive and prosperous Namibian house,” he said.
Iyambo assured the community that the government would continue to distribute food aid and relocate people trapped by floods.
NAMPA
Iyambo, accompanied by the minister of agriculture, water and forestry, John Mutorwa, and deputy minister of environment and tourism, Tommy Nambahu, undertook the visit to acquaint himself with issues such as human-wildlife conflict, armyworms decimating crops, and unemployment.
He was impressed with what he had seen, saying he was under the impression that the army worms had done a lot of damage to irrigation schemes and elephants had finished all the crops.
“Yes, they have done some damage, but there are prospects of a good harvest,” Iyambo told Nampa before he left for Windhoek on Tuesday afternoon.
He was confident that if the government put 27 000 hectares of the agriculture schemes under irrigation, Namibia would be food self-reliant by 2030. About 12 000 hectares are currently under irrigation.
“Of course, we should be mindful of natural occurrences such as prolonged droughts, floods as well as armyworms try to waste our development efforts.”
Iyambo said he had instructed Mutorwa to do a crop assessment in the two Kavango regions and estimate the cereal shortfall that would have to be covered by imports.
He commended the Green Scheme managers and small-scale farmers for producing food despite the challenges.
The main challenge at the moment is waterlogging because of the high rainfall received this year, which forced replanting on some fields, while other fields were too wet for replanting.
Other challenges include cash-flow problems that resulted in late planting, and human-wildlife conflict.
On the meetings with local communities, Iyambo said all went according to plan. Young people, women, farmers, people with disabilities and church leaders came together and discussed issues peacefully.
“We interrogated issues guided by the fact that we as Namibians are equal partners and investors in the shared destiny of an inclusive and prosperous Namibian house,” he said.
Iyambo assured the community that the government would continue to distribute food aid and relocate people trapped by floods.
NAMPA
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article