Farm managers call for bold reforms to rescue green schemes

Farm managers have issued a stark warning to government, saying that sky-high electricity bills, crippling procurement delays and outdated management structures severely undermine the potential of Namibia’s green schemes.They cautioned that unless these structural challenges are urgently addressed, the country’s agricultural ambitions will remain out of reach.This came to the fore on Monday during a high-level visit by Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare and agriculture minister Inge Zammwani to several green scheme projects in the Kavango regions.Speaking at Sikondo Green Scheme in Kavango West, farm manager Maxwell Nghidinwa was candid about the challenges crippling government-run agricultural projects. But he was equally firm on one point: Namibia is capable of running its green schemes successfully.“I think we can. It’s very important for us to take bold steps in addressing the challenges,” he said. “Electricity is one of the biggest costs – most green schemes pay about N$300 000 to N$400 000 monthly whether we are harvesting or not. That corrodes the profitability.”Nghidinwa suggested that the key lies in resolving bottlenecks like unreliable electricity, costly inputs and, above all, rigid procurement processes. Give power back He recalled that between 2014 and 2015, green schemes were running efficiently under a management model that offered farm managers a degree of autonomy and financial decision-making power within limits set by a steering committee.That model, he argued, should be revived.“If a tyre gets flat and we are planting, you need the tyre immediately,” he said. “You cannot say we are going to do a tender. That procurement delay kills operations.”Zammwani-Kamwi acknowledged these frustrations during a meeting with the Mbunza Traditional Authority, saying the integration of agribusiness under her ministry had been completed, but implementation was lagging."It has taken unduly long," she admitted, "and it’s creating anxiety among the workforce.“But I assure you, we are looking at all constraints so that by the end of this year, we can be fully operational.”'Cycle of loss'She also warned that failure to optimise land use could prompt traditional authorities to demand the return of underutilised farmland.In Kavango East, the Uvhungu-Vhungu Green Scheme remains stuck at 50% production. Last month, the scheme's manager, Floris Smith, told Namibian Sun that fields of maize were left unharvested due to the unavailability of a combine harvester. This delay disrupted crop rotation, with no timeline for recovery.“It’s a cycle of loss,” Smith said. “I should be selling by now, but I can’t. I’m waiting for a combine. The same happens again in December.”Despite the available budget for interventions, he noted that farms lack the authority to act independently, and this hampers timely responses to basic operational needs.Last year, then-agriculture minister Calle Schlettwein expressed similar disappointment, calling out failed attempts to lease green schemes to private investors. Of the 11 schemes, only two were successfully leased out: the Orange River project to Muadifam Enterprise and the Uvhungu-Vhungu dairy. However, even these have seen little to no production six months after the award.“We tried outsourcing, but the private sector is failing us,” Schlettwein said at the time. “Maybe our lease contracts are too lenient. We have little recourse when things go wrong.”But farm managers like Nghidinwa say the solutions are not elusive.“The investment is already made,” he said. “Now we must reduce costs, improve operations and bring back a model that works. If we do that, we’ll not only feed ourselves – we’ll start exporting to Angola and beyond.”phillipus@nmh-hub.com.na#Rundu #KavangoEast #GreenSchemes #NamibianSun #AZ #Rep #Namibian #Agriculture #Sikondo #ntv #nmh

Farm managers call for bold reforms to rescue green schemes

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Namibian Sun 2025-12-19

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Farm managers call for bold reforms to rescue green schemes

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Namibian Sun 2025-12-19

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