THE current good rain experienced in the country and the revival of the green scheme projects mean the country is on its way to self-sufficiency of white maize.
This was said by the minister of agriculture, water and land reform, Calle Schlettwein, during his annual staff and stakeholder address in Windhoek yesterday, where he expressed hope that this would be achieved by 2024/25.
He said the ministry's emphasis this year is to revive and elevate the sector in all its three dimensions of agriculture, water and land reform as catalysts for food and water security, poverty eradication, wealth creation and the systematic erosion of income inequalities.
According to Schlettwein, the agriculture sector registered moderate growth in 2022, estimated at 3,6%, thanks to increased activity in both the livestock and crop subsectors.
Highlighting the achievements and key priorities for the year, Schlettwein said three green schemes - Ndonga Linena; Uvhungu Vhungu and Orange River Irrigation Project, as well as Uvhungu Vhungu Dairy Project, had been advertised for private sector participation in line with the expressed policy intent.
"These are now at the evaluation and adjudication stage. While this process is unfolding, the ministry with public funding support has put these assets into production after many years of underutilisation. The Uvhungu Vhungu dairy was recently awarded to a Namibian/Indian joint venture company for a period of 25 years," he said.
The other three green schemes of Shadikongoro, Sikondo and Etunda have not been advertised yet and remain with the ministry, he said.
"Winter crops (wheat) had been planted and harvested at some of these schemes and now summer crops (maize) has been planted," said Schlettwein, who added that the total 776 hectares will bring an average of 7 000 tonnes of white maize from these green schemes.
This will double the yield of last year's maize realised from the Musese, Mashare and Shitemo green schemes, he said.
"If all goes according to plan, the yield of 14 000 metric tonnes, which excludes the small and medium scale farmers' produce, will overflow the current National Strategic Food Reserve, which currently stands at 11 000 metric tonnes," the minister noted.
He said local demand for white maize from April to December 2022 was 136 204 metric tonnes, of which 97 534 tonnes were locally produced and 38 670 tonnes imported.
On the land reform front, Schlettwein said a prioritised plan of action for the implementation of the ongoing 134 of the 176 Second National Land Conference resolutions has been made and the stakeholders are seized with the implementation.
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"The Namibian Communal Land Administration System is developed and it is fully functional and synchronised with the regional databases, and the Revised Resettlement Policy was approved and we should now proceed to finalise the resettlement criteria on the basis of the revised policy," he said.
The ministry had acquired six farms, with a combined size of 27 892 hectares at the cost of N$59,3 million, and an additional two farms near the Neckartal Dam, with a combined size of 11 177.4 hectares at the cost of N$5,7 million to enable the development of the irrigation project, he said.
Schlettwein said high priority for water supply security for Namibia further emanates from the country's vulnerability to climate change and variability as an arid country.
He said the key interventions programmes in the sector relate to the upgrading of existing water infrastructure, construction of new water supply infrastructure, improvement of the management of existing water sources and enhancement of trans-boundary water cooperation.
As regards bulk water supply, the ministry and NamWater are implementing the water sector support programme, jointly funded by the government, NamWater and the African Development Bank for N$4,8 billion.
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