Recurring drought leading to crop failure and low harvests warrants the prioritisation of responsive actions to address human and livestock needs, Minister of Agriculture Calle Schlettwein has said.
Speaking at the opening of the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform’s planning workshop in Swakopmund on Monday, Schlettwein said drought relief measures and distribution networks should be mobilised to mitigate devastating impacts on producers.
“The recurrence of the drought phenomenon also underscores the need for urgent implementation of drought preparedness measures, such as the expanded activity to harvest rain and flood water for better adaptation and resilience in the future,” the minister noted.
He further emphasised the immediate commencement of feasibility studies for timely project planning and budgeting in the next financial year on the basis of assessed feasibility, including for the Neckartal Dam Irrigation Project. Other critical projects are assessment for the establishment of a veterinary barrier to effectively prevent the introduction of Foot and Mouth Disease and Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) into the NCA, and for the extension of the Biosafety Level 3 Laboratory at the Central Veterinary Laboratory for the establishment of a local vaccine production capacity in the future.
“The feasibility study for the Neckartal Irrigation Project should also be extended to include community consultation on the appropriate model for the green scheme which optimises local participation options. Equally, our interventions on the effective veterinary barrier should go beyond conducting the feasibility study to include immediate steps to nullify the effects of the veterinary cordon fence by starting with the compartmentalisation of veterinary zones, commencing with the Kunene Region and Mangetti areas.”
The minister further stressed that effective management of the green schemes is a key lever for food security and food self-sufficiency, saying the ministry should urgently finalise and implement new lease agreements where awards are made to enable timely injection of private capital to wean these schemes from the government budget.
Ministry officials will during the workshop focus on the strategic plan and presentations on various programmes and projects within the ministry.
The week-long meeting will also present a platform for various stakeholders to coordinate planning within the agricultural sector.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency