Josephina Mwashindange
ONANDHI – The rainfall that was much anticipated because of consecutive droughts has brought relief to communal farmers hard hit by the dry spells.
From a distance bountiful crops can be seen sprouting in the mahangu field belonging to Enkali Shikongo of Onandhi village in Oshikoto Region.
The rain received in September prompted many communal farmers to start ploughing their mahangu fields.
“We are very happy to see the mahangu germinating and this is a sign of a positive yield,” said Shikongo, adding that the rainy season has started off well despite being sporadic.
“We rely on government tractors for ploughing but we could not wait due to the long procedures it involves,” said a relieved Shikongo.
Shikongo, who expressed his concerns about the availability of subsidised government tractors, said private tractor owners charge N$450 an hour.
He is however encouraging fellow farmers to take farming seriously because he has observed many communities claiming to be San people, merely to benefit from the government’s drought relief programme.