WINDHOEK – An SOS message is ringing out from the Maize Triangle that it’s all over for the Namibian rain-fed producers with no expectations this year of a contribution towards the average annual white maize harvest of 70 000 tonnes.
“We have lost everything this year, but we have not lost faith in the future,” reads the message. Confirming this terrible news to Farmers’ Forum, Chairperson of the Agronmic Producers Association (APA), Gernot Eggert, says the combined effects of the dorught of 2013, and this year’s devastating dry spell, has proven just one too much for maize producers in the Bread Basket of the country, situated between Grootfontein, Otavi and Tsumeb. A dismal total maize production of between 35 000 and 37 000 tonnes is now expected due to the patchy rainfall since last November that left less than five percent of producers countrywide with normal rainfall. The bulk of this year’s producton will now come from the wet-land producers in Hardap, Kavango and Zambesi regions. Final estimations have not been made by the Namibia Agronomic Board (NAB) due to the fact tha producers in al dry-land areas have no idea what to expect from their wilting fields.
After harvesting a total of 70 328 tonnes in the previous season, a shadow of gloom and doom has been cast over commercial and communal water-fed crop farming areas across Naimibia. The same SOS message was received two weeks ago when Farmers’ Forum travelled exensivey through the Northern Communal Areas (NCAs) where mahangu and maize crops are expecting yields which are only drops of last year’s. The unfolding situation has put food insecurity firmly in the spotlight and Farmers’ Forum reported last week that it has become the most burning issue in every village in the rural areas where everyday is already a struggle to put food on the table. A Cabinet decision on drought food aid is expected within days after the Early Waring ad Food Information Unit recently completed a survey to access the situaton n the ground and filed a lengthy report for Cabinet’s scrutiny.
As little as 35 percent of total crops planted is now expected cuntrywide at harvest time later this year.
“In all my years as maize producer I have never seen such strange weather patterns as this year. Towards the end of last year, some good downpours in certain areas got the spirit of producers in the Maize Triangle up and most of them started planting in all earnest, hopeful of a good rainy season. But from there on things just got worse, and I can tell you the mood has changed from optimistic to one of sheer desperation as they witness their planted material being scorched by the blazing sun day after day.For the greater part of the Maize Triangle, there is just no hope left. Their maize, now in seed and desperately in need of rain – is standing knee-high whereas it should have been more than 1.5 meters by now. It is a sad sight,” Eggert laments to Farmers’ Forum.
Eggert adds that the Minister of Agriculture, Water and Forestry (MAWF), John Mutorwa, has been fully informed about the crisis as seriously depleted harvest in all rain-fed areas will have a devastating effect on food security. Great concern has been expressed in all regions, except the Hardap where average to above average harvests of both maize and wheat under irrigation are expected. The Grootfontein/Tsumeb/Otavi areas as well as Summerdown area where most of the country’s dry land maize is produced, will have extremely poor to no harvests. Producers in al these areas have already started to use their damaged crops as fodder as they prepare for vast losses of income after they spent millions on seeds, preperation and infrastructure in anticipation of a good rainy season.
Ground nuts are also under pressure but the more drought resistant nature thereof means that producers expect a slightly better crop. The economic impact of poorer maize harvests, which is also expected in South Africa, is divergent and includes the possibility from more expensive fodder to a decrease in weaner prices as the feeding costs of feed lots increase. Cheaper oil and petrol prices, however, have the opposite effect and might counteract the impact of the poorer harvest in a certain measure. The APA is still aware of the pressure which will hit farmers who produce under dry land and emphasises the role of the government to support farmers. It was thus decided to write a letter to the Minister of Agriculture in which the critical condition of this industry is highlighted. The Support of the government is necessary to ensure that farmers, who have poor to no harvests, can continue in the upcoming planting season. However, there is always a silver lining at each dark cloud and the Namibia Agricutlural Union (NAU)’s production cost index already shows relief for farmers on the expenditure side as the prices of various inputs have already decreased since the third quarter of 2014, driven by the decrease in prices of various commodities of which oil takes the lead.