Category: Agriculture
Higher Learning Institutions Urged to Prioritise Potato Seed Production
By: Juliana Iikela Horticulturist Jesiah Shipingana has called on institutions of higher learning to initiate programs for producing and treating potato seeds within Namibia. He highlighted that the high cost of potatoes in stores is often due to import…
Steenhuisen Appointment to Have "No Impact" on Namibia’s Agriculture Sector
By: Loise Shiimi Local horticulturists do not expect the appointment of South African opposition leader John Steenhuisen as the neighbouring country’s Agriculture Minister to have any significant impact on Namibia. The Democratic Alliance’s (DA) leader, Steenhuisen, was…
Ohangwena’s N$250 Million Aquifer to Boost Northern Water Supply
By: Nghiinomenwa-vali Erastus and Hertha Ekandjo The government will allocate N$250 million from the N$3.3 billion (including N$1.8 billion in loans) set aside for water infrastructure to develop the Ohangwena Aquifer, making it the second primary source of bulk…
Nedbank Calls For Increased Support of Agriculture Sector
By: Fransina Nghidengwa Nedbank Namibia’s head of business banking, John-James Tromp, has called for increased financial support for the agriculture sector, highlighting the struggles faced by agricultural small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in accessing bank loans. Tromp emphasised…
Omufituwekuta Community Forest Receives N$700,000 UNDP Grant
By: Loise Shiimi Fifteen villages within the Omufituwekuta community forest in the Ohangwena region will benefit from the United Nations Development Program’s socio-economic improvement grant. So far, 31 community households have received over 300 small livestock as startup…
Weak Financial Viability for Large-Scale Feedlot Drives Live Export
By: Nghiinomenwa-vali Erastus Over the past four months, Namibia has marketed 122,142 heads of cattle, with 74,381 of these exported live as weaners, primarily to South African feedlots. This was revealed in the Livestock and Livestock Products Board…
Zambezi Region Can De-Risk Namibia From Rain Dependence
By: Nghiinomenwa-vali Erastus Namibia must develop and capitalise on the available water sources such as the floodplains in the Zambezi region for agricultural purposes to minimise the impact of the prevailing drought on livelihoods. This is according to…
NAB Challenges Fruit Farmers to Meet 50% of Local Demand
By: Loise Shiimi The Namibia Agronomic Board (NAB) has set an ambitious target for the country’s fruit farmers to produce 50% of Namibia’s fruit needs within the next 20 years. Currently, the country satisfies only 4% of its fruit…
Women Own 30% of Namibian Farms
By: Hertha Ekandjo Recent data from the Namibia Agronomic Board (NAB) indicates that about 30% of horticulture farmers in Namibia are women, while approximately 70% are men. This statistic reflects the proportion of female farm owners compared to their…
Only 18% of White Maize Demand Can Be Met Locally
By: Nghiinomenwa-vali Erastus Projections from the Namibia Agronomic Board (NAB) indicate that local white maize production will only reach 32,394 tons for the 2023/24 harvesting year, while the country’s demand stands at 180,000 tons. This shortfall underscores the risks…