Community tractors coming

WINDHOEK ELVIS MURARANGANDA

The Namibian government is to buy a fleet of tractors to increase food production.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, each of the country's constituencies will be equipped with a minimum of four tractors.
The ministry currently has about 65 tractors but says they are not enough to serve all the constituencies in the crop-growing regions of Caprivi, Kavango, Oshikoto, Ohangwena, Omusati and Kunene.
Namibian Sun understands that the new tractors - like all other agricultural equipment for the ministry - will be procured through the August 26 Holding Company, a parastatal owned by the Ministry of Defence.
August 26 has an agreement with a Brazilian company from which it buys all agricultural implements, and the new tractors will also come from that country.
The ministry's permanent secretary, Joseph Iita, says the tractors will be administered under the Dryland Crop Programme, which supports the majority of households who depend on rain-fed crop farming.
According to Iita most of the existing tractors and implements in the regions are waiting to be serviced and or repaired in preparation for the next growing season.
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 in the provision of spare parts, said Iita.
The ministry is in the process of establishing technology centres at Ongwediva and Rundu to manufacture parts, and repair tractors and other farm implements, he said.
The MAWF has been inundated with requests by farmers and private entrepreneurs to make use of the tractors and implements during the off-season period.
However, in the absence of such technology the ministry cannot afford to rent out tractors to farmers and private entrepreneurs, Iita said.
Information of the types of tractors to be bought, the cost and the date on which they are expected to arrive in the country remains unclear.