RUNDU – On the Vungu-Vungu farm a few kilometres east of Rundu is where Peter Malengi toils on the land making gradual progress as a small-scale farmer. Malengi says everything is going well for him and that he expects an excellent harvest very soon.
He was allocated a six-hectare portion of Vungu- Vungu where he started farming five years ago after doing a course in crop production presented by the agriculture ministry at Mashare Irrigation Training Centre in Kavango East.
“Currently I do not struggle with finding buyers for my crops as the government has made things easier for us through Agribusdev (Agricultural Business Development Agency), which is mandated to oversee the management of the green scheme projects. The agency’s work is to create an ideal environment to achieve the green scheme’s objectives as stipulated in the revised green scheme policy,” says Malengi.
The policy of 2008 also introduced Amta (Agro-Marketing Trade Agency) whose focus is finding a market for crop producers.
“In the past we small-scale farmers struggled to sell our produce to people in Rundu and if you decided to sell elsewhere like outside town, you ended up losing as transport costs are high,” said the small-scale farmer.
“But now I am fine as I only have to plant and selling is out of my hands as government has made life easy through Agribusdev and Amta, which finds the market for us,” said Malengi.
He said farmers are also fortunate in that they do not struggle with money to buy seed and fertilisers and other basics due to financing from Agribank. The bank has been mandated by government to finance farmers in acquiring seed, fertiliser and farming equipment.
“I currently use a production loan from Agribank and the government serves as collateral. We don’t get the money directly but request what we need through our service provider and they buy it for us. I am now ready to move to the next step in farming at the green scheme, which is to become a middle-scale farmer,” said the upbeat Malengeni.
More small-scale farmers will be benefiting from Agribank which has allocated N$91 million for drought relief to assist communal and commercial farmers, including farmers on the green scheme projects. Agribank offers a 2 percent interest loan to communal farmers and a 4 percent interest loan to commercial farmers. Farmers need to apply to the bank for the funds to buy fertilizers, seeds, equipment, etc.
Types of loans obtainable through the drought relief fund are production loans, infrastructure loans, debt relief as well as loans for fencing off land.
At Musese and Siokondo green schemes, the farming sites for small-scale farmers are being developed and as soon as they are completed and suitable candidates have been identified to farm on the plots, Agribank will provide the required finance to farmers.
By John Muyamba