The Namibia Statistics Agency in close collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry is planning and preparing for the next Namibia Census of Agriculture to take place in 2013/14.

The project is funded by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) with a grant of N$4.3million to supplement government in carrying out the census, which will count crop production, cattle as well as small stock at different farms across the country. The funds received will be used for services of experts, training and procurement of equipment to successfully carry out the census.

Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) Statistician General, Dr. John Steytler has assured the public that information obtained from farmers will be confidential. “We guarantee that we will not disclose personal information of the farmer’s activities. This census is very important so we therefore call on the full participation and cooperation of the public,” Steytler highlighted.

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The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry has announced that it is currently in the process of buying more tractors for the crop growing regions of Caprivi, Kavango, Oshikoto, Ohangwena, Omusati, Oshana and Kunene North.

In a statement issued by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Joseph Iita, the ministry’s current fleet of about 65 tractors is not sufficient to serve all the constituencies therefore more tractors are needed to equip each constituency with a minimum of 4 tractors and their accompanying implements.

According to Iita, the Ministry has realised that to maintain the current fleet of tractors is a major challenge due to the unavailability of garages specialising in the maintenance and repair of tractors as well as the provision of spare parts. “Currently, most of the tractors and implements in the regions are parked, waiting to be serviced and repaired in preparation of the next cropping season,” Iita stated.

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Windhoek — Namibian dieticians are in agreement with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation recommendations this week that eating nutritious insects could help fight obesity.

And for Namibia they recommend mopani worms. In fact the Ministry of Trade and Industry is confident that mopani worms have the potential to become an export item, equal to indigenous products such as the marula oil and silk from moths found on the Acacia tree. “The mopani worm could follow the same route,” opines Minister of Trade and Industry Calle Schlettwein when reached for comment this week. Schlettwein confirmed that his ministry is looking at all commodities to develop as consumer-ready products.

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Windhoek — The Ministry of Trade and Industry has indicated that it would soon introduce some form of interim protection for the broiler industry. The protection may come into effect as soon as the first week of May.

According to Koos Ferreira the CEO of Namib Mills Investments (NMI), the parent company of Namibia Poultry Industries (NPI), the sector could soon receive interim protection through the Import Export Control Act of 1994, until infant industry protection comes into effect.

Welcoming government’s support for NPI on Tuesday, Ferreira stressed the importance of some form of protection for the industry at a media conference in Windhoek. “Some form of protection has become crucial, as the industry operates in an environment that is capital intensive. The development of specialised skills and the development of brands requires time and financial resources invested over long periods of time. These need to be protected, to sufficiently contribute to the country’s economy,” Ferreira said.

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Swakopmund — Farmers have lost an estimated 1 703 cattle and game valued at N$13 million to rabies during the period 2008 to 2012.

This came to light following a recent survey conducted by the chief veterinarian of the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, Dr Emmanuel Hikufe. Hikufe presented his findings last Monday during the opening of the three-week Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme (FELTP) workshop currently underway in Swakopmund.

Hikufe said human and animal rabies is increasing every year. “This clearly indicates how ineffective the current control programmes are,” he said. He explained that a significant number of dogs have rabies hence the high transmission rate of the disease to humans and wild animals.

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