Agriculture

A shortage in the local supply of fresh produce, specifically potatoes and carrots, has had adverse effects on prices, the operations officer of the Agro Marketing and Trade Agency’s (AMTA) Ongwediva Hub, Mathew Petrus, has said.

Agribank, the country’s premier agricultural lender, continues to make tremendous inroads in the area of women and youth empowerment through the deliberate diversification of its loan book, which saw female farmers receive a decent share of loans as per records of 31 March 2023.

Having recently celebrated 10 years of unmatched service excellence to Namibian farmers, the Agro-Marketing & Trade Agency (AMTA) continues to solidify its brand and prides itself in being the custodian and linkage between local farmers and consumers. 

Popularly known as one of Namibia’s breadbasket, the Kavango West region boasts endless farming opportunities and has untapped potential to create employment and income streams for the region’s inhabitants.

The community of Lubuta in the Judea Lyaboloma constituency of the Zambezi region recently became beneficiaries of the SACREEE-funded solar water pumping irrigation project, which will contribute to food security. 

Lionel Tjakuva, who was once employed as a mineworker, says farming is not just an income stream, but it has become a religion and lifestyle he cannot walk away from. 

The Namibia Agronomic Board (NAB) currently oversees three vital agronomic crops that are gazetted as controlled, namely: white maize, pearl millet (mahangu) and wheat.

The National Youth Service (NYS), tasked with providing civic, technical and vocational training opportunities to the country’s youth, is slowly but surely making a name for itself in the agriculture space, and it is now regarded as one of the biggest contributors to food security. 

Executive director in the Office of the Prime Minister I-Ben Nashandi has called on subsistence farmers to apply for subsidies through the drought relief programme to avoid further loss of animals and possible income.

According to a study conducted by the Namibian Agronomic Board (NAB), the country’s fruit production sector accounts for about 4% of local production (a mere 732 tonnes), compared to an estimated 20 282 tonnes imported from other countries to meet local demand.