Tractor driver jobs not just for Omusati residents
Tractor driver jobs not just for Omusati residents

Tractor driver jobs not just for Omusati residents

Herma Prinsloo
ELLANIE SMIT

WINDHOEK



The agriculture ministry has clarified that a recent advert for tractor operators or drivers for the Omusati Region was not meant for applicants from that region only.

According to a statement, a vacancy advert was circulated on social media on 1 July for tractor operators or drivers to be employed by the agriculture ministry's regional office in Omusati. The advert however implied that only applicants from Omusati would be considered for employment.

“The ministry hereby wishes to apologise to the public for the misleading content in the advert.”



Namsip

The ministry said the Namibia Agricultural Mechanisation and Seed System Improvement Project (Namsip) is a new government initiative, co-funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and executed by the ministry.

Under the project, 350 tractors will be procured, of which 250 will be bought during the 2020/21 financial year.

These tractors will be used to provide subsidised agricultural services, such as ripping, ploughing, disc harrowing, planting, fertiliser application, mechanical weeding, pesticide application, harvesting, threshing and the baling of grass, including mowing, cutting and hay-raking.

Namsip complements the Dry Crop Production Programme (DCPP), which is an ongoing agronomic initiative being implemented in 10 crop-growing regions.

The ministry said it is therefore required to recruit 250 seasonal/contractual tractor operators or drivers to operate the tractors and provide services to both rain-fed and irrigation crop and fodder producers during the cultivation period, or when the need arises.

The tractor operators need to be recruited in advance to facilitate the procurement of protective gear, which cannot be done without knowing the particulars of the drivers in terms of height and size, the ministry said.

This will also give the ministry ample time to conduct training before their deployment to the regions.

The operators or drivers will be recruited in accordance with the number of tractors allocated per region, which will be allocated based on the type of agricultural activities and total number of households involved in crop production in each region.

All vacancies will be advertised both in print media and at regional ministry offices before the end of the month, the ministry said.

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-17

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