The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform says it has received 168 tractors from the 350 procured to help boost agricultural productivity in the country.
The Ministry said an additional 50 out of the remaining 182 tractors are being assembled locally, whereas the remainder is anticipated to arrive before the end of the year.
The Ministry’s Spokesperson Jona Musheko said they procured 350 tractors with varying power output capacity of 40KW to 90KW, accumulating to a total value of N$300 million.
In addition, 380 walking tractors with matching implements were also procured; while fodder equipment, eight certified seed pre-cleaning machines, and 14 Prototype Pearl Millet/Cowpea/Maize thresher plants await delivery.
According to Musheko, this is a continued implementation of the Namibia Agricultural Mechanisation and Seed Improvement Project (NAMSIP).
NAMSIP is a project, which is co-funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) by means of a loan and the Government, to the tune of N$1.4 billion.
“The target beneficiaries for this project are small-scale farmers in communal areas throughout the country. It is designed to improve household food security and contribute to poverty reduction, in the same vein enhance agricultural productivity in order to reduce annual importation of staple cereal crops/grains, facilitate job creation; and increase household incomes,” said Musheko.
The project carries components of Agricultural Mechanisation and Certified Seed Systems Improvement, which aligns with NDP5 and HPP I&II which aims at structural transformation through increased agricultural production and productivity.
To date, 700 Veterinary Cold Chain/Drug Kits have been procured under the programme, in addition, 700 Automatic Drug Injection Guns; 1,960 Knapsack Sprayers; 21 Animal Weighing Scales; 3,500 Jab Seed Drillers; 3,500 Vegetable Seed Drillers; 2,706 Hand Operated Seedling Transplanters; 2,471 Hand Operated Weeding Cultivators; and 350 Chipper hammer Mills.
“The Ministry through the NAMSIP Project facilitated registration of 777 individual farmers and eight cooperatives as seed growers who are participating in the multiplication of certified seeds with a view to ensuring timely availability of sufficient quality certified seeds. This is in addition to supporting the production of 1,057 tonnes and 117 tonnes of certified and foundation seeds, respectively,” he said.
In addition, Musheko said the Ministry launched a tender for the Design and Construction Supervision for the Proposed Seed Processing Plants, to be built in Zambezi, Kavango East, Kavango West, Oshikoto and Omusati regions once the designs have been completed.
Through the multiplication of seed-related activities, the Ministry created temporary employment for 4,519, of which 1,575 are men and 2,944 women.
Further fostering farmer capacitation, NAMSIP is undertaking a seed industry learning tour on millet seed improvement at the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in India.
“Namibia can learn from India to improve yields through development of new varieties, setting up of effective seed systems, and creating markets for pearl Millet to explore the potential of the crop to contribute to food, nutrition and income generation, especially to the farming community,” he said.
The Ministry has also commenced the upgrading of the Irrigation System at Mannheim Crop Research Station for the multiplication of certified seed and work is in progress.
In order to ensure ownership and sustainability, the project has facilitated capacity building of staff members on the operation and maintenance of agricultural machinery and equipment.
