Windhoek
All the dry land crop producing regions both communal and commercial areas received a very poor crop harvest this season, which is exceedingly below the average production and lower than last season’s harvest.
Crop germination was very poor prompting farmers to attempt replanting so many times with little success and even those crops germinated have wilted as drought condition strengthen.
The latest Crop Prospects, Food Security and Drought Situation report, paints this bleak picture stating that in communal crop producing regions, the majority of farmers were unable to cultivate the greater part of their crop fields due to repeated dry spells experienced during the critical period of ploughing (December, January and February). Even government tractors were parked, due to the fact that the soil was too dry and hard to tilt. Very little crop harvest was obtained this season and some farmers are reported to have suffered total crop failures.
In the Kunene region, crop germinated, following some showers in December, had since wilted up between January and February due to lack of rainfall. Omaheke and Otjozondjupa regions reported that there were good crop germination, following some good showers in November, but have later on wilted during January and February owing to a lack of rainfall.
In the commercial dry land maize triangle area (Otavi, Tsumeb and Grootfontein), maize producers are reported to have planted at least 23% less than usual, due to poor rainfall at the critical planting period. However, few bigger produces and new farmers planted more, based on the rainfall outlook at that time, which indicated normal to above normal rainfall for Namibia. Figure 5 below shows some of the worst affected maize in the dry land commercial area.
Over 50% of dry land maize producers in the commercial area are reported to have experienced a total crop failures and as such, no harvests were obtained from their crop fields. Most of these farmers planted their maize between December and early January and germination was good with most farmers. As from mid January, February and most of March, there were no rainfall and severe and prolonged dry spells were experienced resulting in the crop wilting.
Crop harvest for the 2014/2015 crop season are very poor compared to the normal production and the last season’s harvest. Maize production in the communal area (Zambezi, Kavango East and West regions) showed a substantial reduction of about 80% below average and 73% lower than last season’s harvest. In the commercial area, maize harvest showed a significant drop of 46% less than the last season’s harvest and 12% below the average production. Although maize production in the commercial area recorded about 36 700 tonnes of the harvest this season, over 92% of this total came from the irrigation projects and dry land maize has only contributed about 8% of the total. Pearl millet production showed a decrease of over 74% below average and 65% less than last season’s harvest. Moreover, sorghum production has also showed a significant decrease in the harvest and is estimated at 79% below the average production and 60% lower than the last season’s harvest. Wheat is a winter crop and production thereof is ongoing. Harvest estimate for wheat is provisionally forecasted at 12 700 tonness. This reflects an increase of 21% above the average production and 23% higher than last season’s harvest.
Many dry land crop producers in both communal and commercial areas are reported to have suffered total crop failures, with no single harvest this year because of the poor rainfall this season. Therefore, as a country, the national coarse aggregate production (maize, millet, sorghum and wheat) is estimated at 67, 800 metric tonnes, reflecting a substantial decrease in the harvest of about 46% below the average production, and 49% lower than last season’s harvest. In addition, the national cereal aggregate is about 17% lower than the 2012/2013 drought, demonstrating the seriousness of the current drought.