Namsov Fishing Enterprises is a consortium of four fishing companies, namely Twafika Fishing Enterprises, Namibian Sea Products, Trachurus Fishing and Tetelestai Mariculture together with Namsov Industrial Properties. It is a local company in which Namibians own majority shareholding.

The company has injected N$2.5 million into a fish distribution project called Ekwao, which will distribute 2400 tonnes of horse-mackerel a year by partnering with vendors in all regions. During a recent interview the marketing manager of Namsov, Garden Hengua said the company intends to support the government’s initiative to encourage Namibians to eat more fish through the distribution of fish to vendors in the Oshana, Ohangwena, Oshikoto and Kavango regions.

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Can you tell us briefly about this college?

The Federal College of Horticulture, Dadin Kowa, was established in June 2002. The essence of establishing the college was to train middle level manpower in horticultural technology and related disciplines. The college focuses principally in production and processing. It is the only college of horticulture in the entire sub-Saharan Africa. The college today runs both Higher National Diploma and National Diploma Programmes. Besides training middle manpower, we also train farmers and extension agents in various areas of need in short term programmes.

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The Minister for Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives, Eng. Christopher Chiza told the National Assembly yesterday that he will visit all the regions with irrigation schemes and see how to improve the facilities.

He was responding to a supplementary question by Mr David Kafulila (Kigoma South, NCCR-Mageuzi), who wondered as to why Tanzania with 29.3 million hectares of land fit for irrigation schemes faced hunger.

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These agreements were signed by Prime Minister Ali Laarayedh and Turkey’s Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the end of the first Tunisian-Turkish Higher Council for Strategic Co-operation meeting.

Memoranda of understanding were also signed between the two countries’ Foreign Ministries.

Besides, the two sides signed “the declaration of intent” regarding co-operation in the social field between Tunisian Social Affairs Ministry and Turkish Family and Social Policies Ministry.

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Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson signed a statement of intent with her Argentine counterpart, Norberto Yauhar, in Pretoria on Thursday.

The agreement aims to strengthen agricultural development and cooperation between the two countries at technical, operational and policy levels.

Speaking through a translator, Yauhar said the agreement would enhance South-South cooperation, particularly in improving agricultural production efficiencies, sharing technologies, and facilitating trade in agricultural products.

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The agro-ecological zoning (AEZ) in agriculture refers to definition of zones on the basis of combinations of soil, landform and climatic characteristics.

The Minister for Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives, Eng. Christopher Chiza told the National Assembly yesterday that central regions are mainly semi-arid which requires drought resistant crops and farmers should go for such crops.

He was responding to the question by Martha Mlata (Special Seats-CCM) who had wanted to know as to why farmers in Singida were prevented from cultivating maize. She also wondered as to why the government has been giving farm inputs on the crops such as sorghum while some farmers were also cultivating maize.

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The multi-million dollar refurbishment was funded by the Millennium Challenge Account-Namibia (MCA-N) that has so far spent hundreds of millions of dollars in Namibia on tourism, cattle farming, crop farming and education. The upgraded quarantine facilities under the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry were inaugurated by the Agriculture, Water and Forestry Permanent Secretary Joseph Iita. The upgrading work began in April last year.

Iita said since livestock farming contributes significantly to the livelihoods of many residents, it is only befitting that livestock marketing facilities should be improved. “Over 80 percent of the population in the Caprivi Region derive their livelihood from agriculture and livestock contributes more than 70 percent of the income. The cattle census in the Caprivi Region stood at 140 000 in 2012. Some 12 000 cattle are slaughtered annually through the Meatco Katima Mulilo Abattoir and farmers earn in excess of N$26 million,” said Iita.

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He said organic fertilizers are preferable to the inorganic because they are environmentally friendly, economical and safer in application especially among illiterate farmers, adding that, “the product from organic fertilizers is preferable because it has better effect on health. There are enzymes in organic fertilizers which speed up organic reactions in the soil thereby ensuring high productivity and yield of crops.

“The enzymes in organic fertilizers multiply the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the soil in billions and because of that, the soil has enough nutrients to feed the crops with. Organic fertilizers, unlike the non-organic fertilizers, don’t have adverse effects on the soil and the farmers applying them. The farmer can use his hand in applying organic fertilizer but the chemical fertilizer is usually corrosive,” he said.

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This year’s show held; under the theme: ‘Mining and Agriculture for Continued Development and Prosperity’ lived to its expectations of creating a perfect platform for economic diversification, especially that the event saw more exhibitors taking part compared to last year.

More than 107 exhibitors took part in the trade exhibition with 27 of them being foreign companies who were mainly from South Africa.

While, the trade show is mining and agriculture, the exhibitors sprang from all sectors of the economy bringing with them to the fore, diverse interests and thereby creating a platform for sharing and exchanging of ideas.

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More than 20 delegates from member countries – Zimbabwe, Kenya, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi, South Africa and Tanzania – are expected to attend the meeting.

Zimbabwe is now Africa’s largest producer contributing over 45 percent of the continent’s production. The importance of tobacco to Zimbabwe’s total economic empowerment cannot be overlooked.

The meeting is expected to discuss countering national and international anti-tobacco growing campaigns, facilitate networking of tobacco growers worldwide, sharing of non-competitive information about tobacco and strategies to stabilise supply and prices and publicising the socio-economic importance of tobacco in terms of employment, agricultural development and national economic benefits among other things.

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