By: Hilma Tuukondjele
The Mannheim Crop Research Station in Tsumeb last week received water tanks, a cold room for seed storage, and a submersible solar water pump from the country coordinator of the Turkish cooperation and coordination agency Windhoek Namibia.
Turkish Cooperation and coordination agency Windhoek Namibia(TiKA), country coordinator Aydin Apaydin, said the project’s goal is to improve the seed storage facility at Mannheim Crop Research Station to support the multiplication of newly developed cowpea mutant seed varieties.
Apaydin said the cold room would preserve and store seeds, increasing seed availability to breeders for the multiplication of certified seeds that can be distributed among Namibia’s targeted cropping regions as the seed is an essential determinant of agricultural production
potential and the effectiveness of other Agricultural inputs depend on it, and seed is a critical source of agricultural productivity innovation, especially for resource-constrained small-scale farmers.
He added that seed is a fundamental unit in agriculture, serving as the foundation for food security and biodiversity conservation.
“This assistance reflects Turkey’s goodwill and friendship to the Government and people of the Republic of Namibia, and it will contribute to the development of such projects while also strengthening friendly ties between our two countries,” he said.
The deputy executive director of the agriculture ministry, Mildred Kambinda, said that quality seeds for important food, feed and fodder crops are the foundation of agriculture.
Kambinda said producing and planting quality seeds is a low-cost strategy that farmers can adopt.
“The cool seed room that was received symbolizes a strong relationship and good support from our development partners,” Kambinda said.
He adds that the project aims to improve household food security and reduce poverty by enhancing agricultural productivity to reduce the annual importation of staple cereal crops/grains.
The project will provide rural people, particularly smallholder farmers, with easy access to quality certified seeds, thereby improving their livelihoods, he said.
