Niël Terblanché
Significant investment in the renovation of key infrastructure to increase the production of maize and other types of staple grains on Namibia’s green schemes will pay off when current harvest is brought in.
According to an audio-visual documentary presentation by the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform (MAWLR), the various green schemes that benefitted from the investment, expect to harvest about 7 000 tons of maize by the end of July.
Towards the end of 2022, MAWLR mobilized funds to commence production at the green schemes and irrigation projects of Sikondo, Ndonga Linena, Uvungu Vhungu, Shadikongoro and Etunda.
The brief documentary showcased the expectation of the various green scheme managers, who all said that they will harvest between seven and ten tons of maize per hectare.
The expected tonnage of maize also includes the production of medium and small-scale farmers that produce grains around the irrigation projects run by the Agricultural Business Development Agency (Agribusdev).
The lack of rain in some areas means that production costs rose slightly because the farmers had to keep pumps running to irrigate the maize while it was growing.
One of the managers said that the rise in costs was offset by the lack of pests that normally occurs during good rainy seasons.
“The maize we intend to harvest is healthy and free of worms. Normally we have to use a lot of chemicals in order to prevent pests from damaging the crop and this year it was not the case,” the manager said.
In some cases, the harvesting of maize has already started. Agribusdev will also assist the small and medium-scale farmers surrounding the green schemes to bring their harvests in.
According to the documentary, some of the green schemes also planted potatoes during the last planting cycle. The potatoes are also now ready for harvesting and will be available to consumers soon.
Some of the green scheme managers indicated that after the maize harvest if brought in the ground will be prepared for the planting of wheat.
The green scheme manager all said that they are very optimistic about the envisaged wheat harvest once the plants reach maturity.
“We stand to make a good profit from the wheat harvest if everything goes right another green scheme manager said.
According to the documentary, the agriculture ministry has formed smart partnerships with the private sector while also sourcing some capital to keep investing in the production of vital foodstuffs to ensure that Namibia attains security of supply over the medium term.
