Governor wants regulated seed industry

Omusati Regional Governor Erginus Endjala said it is disturbing that the seed industry in Namibia has not been regulated for many years. “It is disturbing to state that there is no regulatory framework to regulate the seed industry. There were also no plant breeders for the past 10 years,” said Endjala, who was speaking during his State of the Region Address (SORA) last week. He further claimed that due to budgetary constraints, mileage for food inspection and limited capacity of seeds processing machinery led to the inadequate seeds in the region.However, the governor was pleased to learn that the Draft Seed and Seed Varieties have been submitted to the Ministry of Justice, while the Draft Plant Variety Protection is under review, adding that they urge the line ministry to address the issue with urgency. Sharing the activities carried out at the Omahenene Crop Research Station whose mandate is to conduct crop research and produce foundation as well as certified seeds, he said the efforts of the station are critical, especially during drought relief programmes when seeds are being distributed. “It is pleasing to learn that 180 out of 200 seed growers from the Northern Namibia Farmers Seed Growers Cooperative (NNFSGC) are from Omusati Region, while total pearl and millet seeds produced during 2015 worth 170 tons were produced at the Omahenene Crop Research Station,” he said. “About 110 tons of seeds were distributed for drought relief in Omusati, Oshana, Ohangwena, Oshikoto, Otjozondjupa, Kavango West and East, Kunene and Zambezi regions,” he said. Regarding livestock farming in his region, Endjala said there are too many livestock within the region which the inhabitants are not utilising to their own benefits, urging them to sell some of their animals. “According to statistics, there are 294 258 cattle, 17 817 sheep, 265 446 goats, 39 859 donkeys, 14 398 pigs and 187 220 poultry. These animals belong to about 200 000 inhabitants in the region. This indicates that the region is abundantly blessed with livestock but at a look of things it does not optimally utilize them,” Endjala said.KENYA KAMBOWE

Governor wants regulated seed industry

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-11-05

Please login to leave a comment

Governor wants regulated seed industry

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-11-05

Please login to leave a comment

Subscription Required to Access Content ×

Login

Subscription Required to Access Content