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Councils Cannot Run Green Schemes – Schlettwein

By: Justicia Shipena

Agriculture minister Calle Schlettwein says it will be challenging for the councils to take over the country’s struggling green schemes.

Schlettwein said this during a Monday meeting with governors, councillors, and traditional authorities of Kavango East and west regions in Rundu. The meeting follows a request by the regional leadership on the status of the green schemes in the two regions.

This also follows a request by the councils in the two Kavango regions to take over the green schemes in the area.

Last month, a Swapo think tank report advised the ruling party to allocate eight state-owned green schemes to regional councils to manage.

The government owns 11 green schemes on land measuring 4 100 hectares across the country, and four of them are leased out to the private sector. At the same time, eight are managed through Agriculture Business Development Agency (Agribusdev).

Agribusdev is a state company which manages government green schemes. In June 2021, its acting managing director, Berfine Antindi, announced that the entity would be dissolved and no jobs would be lost.

The green schemes are the Hardap, Etunda, Musese, Orange River, Sikondo, Vhungu-Vhungu, Ndonga Linena, Mashare, Shadikongoro, Kalimbeza and Shitemo green scheme farms.

“Councillors taking over green schemes will be difficult to achieve,” said Schlettwein.

According to him, councils are politically elected institutions with a broad mandate to look at almost everything, adding that if they agree for the councils to take over the schemes, they should run cattle farms and wholesalers.

“If you take the argument that our councils must run green schemes, they must then also run cattle farms, wholesalers, transport companies, traders, construction companies, they must own all of that. That is not conceivable. It is not possible,” he said.

He added that councils are there to create the necessary environment, policy-wise and legal-wise so that citizens have the economic opportunity to run the schemes.

“You are empowered as a council. You don’t need economic empowerment. Who needs economic empowerment are the farmers, the local population, and that is how we have designed green schemes,” he explained.

Schlettwein explained that green schemes must be an economic opportunity for local farmers.

He emphasised that the green schemes were designed so small-scale farmers and local entities would get equity participation and own part of the green scheme.

“As we grow the next lease period, that equity should grow from, let’s say, 10 per cent to 30 per cent. They must own the green scheme, and then there is no outsourcing.”

Furthermore, he said green schemes must be linked to the total value chain, and interest should not stop at the farm gate.

“There must get into value addition processes. They must integrate horizontally and vertically.”

In March this year, Schlettwein told potential investors in Dubai

that the government would, in June 2022, issue a request for proposals to lease out 11 green schemes.

In April, Kavango West governor Sirkka Ausiku called on government-owned green schemes to collaborate with locals through potential joint ventures to ensure optimal output.

 

NOT FAIR

Meanwhile, in response to Schlettwein’s statement, Councillors in the two Kavango regions say if the agriculture ministry denies them the chance to run green schemes, the regions will continue to be poor.

Mukwe councillor Damian Maghambayi says there is a big misunderstanding on the council’s approach.

“What we want as a council is not necessarily that we want to own this green scheme projects,” he said.

He added that the regional council’s Act reminds them of a joint venture.

“And through that exercise as a region, we can have very competent people just like those investors of foreign establishments. We can have very competent people that can have a joint venture with a specific region and run them accordingly. The provision in the Act provides for us to get into a joint venture. The reason why the region should get involved is that we have looked at many factors,” he said.

Maghambayi said green schemes run by the councils would be a success.

“We are not only going to look at the profits making but also on how we can improve the region.”

“It is not fair at all. It will be better if the regional council runs it because they will be directly responding to the developmental need of the region,” he added.

Kavango West regional council chief public relations officer Tenga Solomon said the council could help in the operations regarding green schemes.

“The council should be included in the decision-making because that is how better we will be able to control the direct monitors because if anything is wrong, they will know what to do,” he said.

“The authorities where those green schemes are situation should have a say in the operations of it.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Justicia Shipena

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