Mahangu producers have no market

Since the beginning of June many mahangu producers in the north have flocked to the Agro Marketing and Trading Agency (AMTA) to sell their surplus, but they were turned away because the trading agency is apparently not buying mahangu this year.A source at AMTA told Namibian Sun that they usually procure mahangu on behalf of the agriculture ministry, but this year the ministry had not allocated it any money nor issued instructions to that effect.Farmers started registering their interest to supply mahangu to AMTA in May this year. AMTA usually offers N$5 400 per ton or N$5.40 per kilogram for mahangu.Farmers who have done good business with AMTA for the past eight years are unhappy, saying they worked extra hard this year to produce a bumper harvest in the hope that the agency would buy their surplus. AMTA's Meke Namindo confirmed that they were expecting a high volume of mahangu and maize this year following an increase in the number of suppliers and production volumes.She declined further comment, referring all questions to the agriculture ministry.The ministry did not respond to questions.“Last year I sold about 300 tonnes of mahangu to AMTA and this motivated me to work harder. This year I doubled the production and I notified them in May that I had mahangu to sell,” said Setson Absalom.“To my disappointment after the harvest they (AMTA) told me that they were not buying mahangu this year. Very disappointing, because this was my only hope.”AMTA has mahangu and maize silos at Tsandi, Okongo, Omuthiya, Rundu and Katima Mulilo where farmers take their products. In 2010 AMTA bought 240 tonnes of mahangu, followed by 742 tonnes in 2011, 504 tonnes in 2012, 175 tonnes in 2013, 486 tonnes in 2014, 61 tonnes in 2015 and 1 500 tonnes last year.Last year AMTA's operational manager for national strategic food reservation, Wilhelmina Handunge, told Namibian Sun that since they started buying mahangu from producers in 2010, the highest volume was last year when they bought 1 500 tonnes of mahangu from farmers in the Zambezi, Kavango East and West, Ohangwena, Oshikoto, Oshana and Omusati regions.She said farmers had improved the quality of their produce to the standard that AMTA was looking for.The Ohangwena regional councillor for Okongo constituency, Fanuel Ndadi, said some farmers had approached his office, asking when AMTA would start buying mahangu. Ndadi said did not know what was delaying AMTA.“If AMTA fails to buy mahangu this year it is going to be a waste of mahangu. I know that they do not buy all of the mahangu farmers have, but what they buy makes an impact because this is the only formal market for mahangu we have,” Ndadi said.According to the Namibia Agronomic Board, mahangu, which is also known as pearl millet, is a subsistence rain-fed cereal crop which is the major staple food for over 50% of the Namibian population. Mahangu is highly adapted to low rainfall and the prevailing soil conditions in the north-central regions and the Kavango. For many years, small-scale farmers have survived on the low yields obtained from mahangu.Mahangu farmers in Namibia are amongst the few peoples in Africa who have successfully developed an integrated food-storage system where they can store their grain in storage baskets made of wood strips for up to five years.On the recommendation of the NAB, mahangu was gazetted as a controlled crop on 15 May 2008. This ensures that from 1 July every year, no permits are granted for the import and export of mahangu until the entire local harvest is sold, guaranteeing a free market within the boundaries of Namibia. During this time, mahangu is marketed and sold in line with a production-cost-related floor price.The Mahangu Development Plan for 2010 to 2013 was implemented to support the development of the mahangu sector in Namibia. The aim of the plan was to foster a rapid and efficient production and marketing system for the development of the crop. ILENI NANDJATO

Mahangu producers have no market

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-03

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Mahangu producers have no market

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-03

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