Deputy minister urges modernisation of agri sector
• Countries challenged by fast-growing populations
The Oshikuku Agricultural and Training Expo was held under the theme 'Promoting modern agriculture in Africa and beyond'.
By modernising agriculture, the sector’s production capacity is expected to be enhanced, putting it in a better position to increase the production of the inputs required to drive and accelerate the industrialisation agenda.
Deputy agriculture minister Anna Shiweda said this at the Oshikuku Agricultural and Training Expo.
This year, the event was held under the theme ‘Promoting modern agriculture in Africa and beyond’, and took place from 24 to 29 October at the Oshikuku Town Lodge.
Shiweda said the world is facing a daunting task of feeding a fast-growing population, which is estimated to reach the 9.7 billion mark by 2050.
This challenge also resonates with Namibia, whose population is projected to be approximately 3.9 million in the same year, she said.
“This is amplified by climate change, which has been negatively affecting the capacity of food production systems in the world through the impact of natural calamities, such as extreme weather, droughts, floods and pest and disease outbreaks.”
Climatic situation
Shiweda said Namibia has also been experiencing frequent droughts, floods and pest outbreaks, which also affect our food production systems and national food security, often compelling government to implement drought relief interventions.
The climatic situation contributes to Namibia being a net food-importing country, she said.
“Therefore, the modernisation and mechanisation of agriculture in Namibia is essential and imperative if we are to feed our growing population, close the current wide food gap and ultimately achieve our goal of food self-sufficiency.”
The main objective of the expo is to create a platform for farmers and traders to showcase their produce and demonstrate how training they have received has improved their farming, marketing and trading activities.
Shiweda said the event is clear evidence that the organisers are determined to fast-track agricultural development and growth in the Oshikoto constituency and the Omusati Region at large.
In addition, she said the theme of the expo is an indication that the town’s leadership has a vision to modernise agriculture to move farmers from hoeing to mechanical ploughing, planting, weeding, harvesting and threshing.
Shiweda said they also aim to move farmers from traditional cereal-processing technologies such as pounding tools to mechanical hammer mills to lessen the burden of manual labour on farmers, especially female farmers, as well as to move farmers - where appropriate - from utilising traditional seed varieties that take long to mature to improved yielding seed varieties.
Market access
“What is also encapsulated in the theme for this event is the resolve of the organisers to widen the scope and capacity of farmers to look beyond Oshikuku and Omusati in terms of market access for their products.”
They envision a situation where farmers are capacitated and upgraded to a production level that will enable them to produce high-quality products that can have access to lucrative national and international markets, and which can compete with similar products in those market, she said.
Shiweda said since many Namibian citizens depend on this sector for their survival, there is no doubt that the modernisation and industrialisation of agriculture will not only immensely contribute to their economic and social upliftment, but will also go a long way to redress the current skewed distribution of income and wealth between the rich and poor sections of society.
Deputy agriculture minister Anna Shiweda said this at the Oshikuku Agricultural and Training Expo.
This year, the event was held under the theme ‘Promoting modern agriculture in Africa and beyond’, and took place from 24 to 29 October at the Oshikuku Town Lodge.
Shiweda said the world is facing a daunting task of feeding a fast-growing population, which is estimated to reach the 9.7 billion mark by 2050.
This challenge also resonates with Namibia, whose population is projected to be approximately 3.9 million in the same year, she said.
“This is amplified by climate change, which has been negatively affecting the capacity of food production systems in the world through the impact of natural calamities, such as extreme weather, droughts, floods and pest and disease outbreaks.”
Climatic situation
Shiweda said Namibia has also been experiencing frequent droughts, floods and pest outbreaks, which also affect our food production systems and national food security, often compelling government to implement drought relief interventions.
The climatic situation contributes to Namibia being a net food-importing country, she said.
“Therefore, the modernisation and mechanisation of agriculture in Namibia is essential and imperative if we are to feed our growing population, close the current wide food gap and ultimately achieve our goal of food self-sufficiency.”
The main objective of the expo is to create a platform for farmers and traders to showcase their produce and demonstrate how training they have received has improved their farming, marketing and trading activities.
Shiweda said the event is clear evidence that the organisers are determined to fast-track agricultural development and growth in the Oshikoto constituency and the Omusati Region at large.
In addition, she said the theme of the expo is an indication that the town’s leadership has a vision to modernise agriculture to move farmers from hoeing to mechanical ploughing, planting, weeding, harvesting and threshing.
Shiweda said they also aim to move farmers from traditional cereal-processing technologies such as pounding tools to mechanical hammer mills to lessen the burden of manual labour on farmers, especially female farmers, as well as to move farmers - where appropriate - from utilising traditional seed varieties that take long to mature to improved yielding seed varieties.
Market access
“What is also encapsulated in the theme for this event is the resolve of the organisers to widen the scope and capacity of farmers to look beyond Oshikuku and Omusati in terms of market access for their products.”
They envision a situation where farmers are capacitated and upgraded to a production level that will enable them to produce high-quality products that can have access to lucrative national and international markets, and which can compete with similar products in those market, she said.
Shiweda said since many Namibian citizens depend on this sector for their survival, there is no doubt that the modernisation and industrialisation of agriculture will not only immensely contribute to their economic and social upliftment, but will also go a long way to redress the current skewed distribution of income and wealth between the rich and poor sections of society.
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