Use it or lose it, irrigation farmers warned

SMALL-SCALE farmers at the Etunda Irrigation Project in the Omusati Region who under-utilise or don’t use the land allocated to them could end up losing it, the Minister of Agriculture said yesterday.

John Mutorwa said 82 plots had been made available for production at Etunda but 21 of them were under-utilised. He said farmers who were not using their plots should start doing so, otherwise they would be taken away and allocated to those who are eager to work on the land “for themselves, their families and the nation”.Mutorwa was addressing a press conference in Windhoek yesterday.He said Government was considering giving additional financing to farmers at the Etunda Project who are doing well.”The reason is simple.Government does not want or cannot afford to have under-utilised land at any of its agro-irrigation projects.Not at this time when the world and our nation are talking about increased food production,” said Mutorwa.He said the Ministry had completed the construction of four silos at Rundu, each with a capacity of 1 000 tons of grain.The construction of four more silos with a capacity of 1 400 tons each at Katima Mulilo was progressing well and should be finished by the end of the year, the Minister said.Silos are also being built at Okongo in the Ohangwena Region and more are planned at Omuthiya in the Oshikoto Region and Tsandi in the Omusati Region.The Ministry is also building houses at Uvungu-Vungu and Shadikongoro in the Kavango Region for small-scale farmers who are receiving training at the Mashare Irrigation Training Centre.The Ministry plans to build cold-storage facilities in Windhoek, Oshakati and Rundu, with the contracts currently being advertised in newspapers.He said farmers who were not using their plots should start doing so, otherwise they would be taken away and allocated to those who are eager to work on the land “for themselves, their families and the nation”.Mutorwa was addressing a press conference in Windhoek yesterday.He said Government was considering giving additional financing to farmers at the Etunda Project who are doing well.”The reason is simple.Government does not want or cannot afford to have under-utilised land at any of its agro-irrigation projects.Not at this time when the world and our nation are talking about increased food production,” said Mutorwa.He said the Ministry had completed the construction of four silos at Rundu, each with a capacity of 1 000 tons of grain.The construction of four more silos with a capacity of 1 400 tons each at Katima Mulilo was progressing well and should be finished by the end of the year, the Minister said.Silos are also being built at Okongo in the Ohangwena Region and more are planned at Omuthiya in the Oshikoto Region and Tsandi in the Omusati Region.The Ministry is also building houses at Uvungu-Vungu and Shadikongoro in the Kavango Region for small-scale farmers who are receiving training at the Mashare Irrigation Training Centre.The Ministry plans to build cold-storage facilities in Windhoek, Oshakati and Rundu, with the contracts currently being advertised in newspapers.