Land shortage stalls Neckartal irrigation plans

Plans to unlock the full agricultural potential of the N$5.7 billion Neckartal Dam have stalled because government cannot acquire 3 705 hectares of strategically located farmland, despite buying more than 20 000 hectares for N$19.54 million.

Agriculture ministry officials told parliament's standing committee on natural resources during an oversight visit to the ǁKharas region that there is no budget to acquire the remaining land.

They also said willing sellers insist that the government buy entire farms rather than portions required for irrigation.

Deputy director in the ministry Albertus Engelbrecht said the outstanding land remains critical to the second phase of the Neckartal Dam Irrigation Scheme, which aims to develop 5 000 hectares of irrigated farmland downstream of the dam.

"There is no budgetary provision for the acquisition of land for the Neckartal Dam irrigation scheme," Engelbrecht said.

"So once we get these 3 705 hectares, we can go full speed into this whole irrigation so that the 5 000 hectares that we earmarked can be covered," Engelbrecht said.

He added that only 5% to 10% of the land already acquired is suitable for irrigation, with the rest suitable for livestock farming, feedlots and related agricultural activities.

Engelbrecht added that irrigation is uneconomical because some properties lie too far from the water source and require additional pipelines and infrastructure.

"We have this 20 000 hectares, but we cannot get the 5 000 hectares that we intend and plan for. But if we get this additional 3 705 hectares, then I think we will get more suitable land for irrigation purposes," he said.

Acquisition programme

The difficulty, he explained, is that affected landowners want government to purchase entire farms, significantly increasing the cost of the acquisition programme.

Construction of the Neckartal Dam began in 2013 and was completed in 2019 before late president Hage Geingob officially inaugurated the project in March 2020.

Built at a cost exceeding N$5.7 billion, Neckartal is Namibia's largest dam, with a storage capacity of approximately 856 million cubic metres.

The project already includes a balancing dam and dedicated water conveyance pipeline intended to supply the planned irrigation scheme.

Government is nevertheless pressing ahead with preparations for the next phase.

The agriculture ministry has appointed Dunamis Consulting to undertake a comprehensive technical and financial feasibility study for downstream irrigation development.

The study will assess soil suitability, identify appropriate crop varieties, determine water conveyance requirements, evaluate domestic and export market opportunities and recommend measures to prevent land degradation, waterlogging and soil salinisation.

 The consultant is also responsible for preparing feasibility studies, preliminary and detailed engineering designs, tender documentation and construction supervision.

Detailed engineering designs are expected to be completed by December 2026, while the commercial agricultural units are expected to be advertised before the end of the 2026/27 financial year.

According to the directorate of agricultural production, extension and engineering (south division), government has already legally acquired 19 303 hectares around the balancing dam to facilitate downstream agricultural development.

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