By Loide Jason
OMAGALANGA – Although farmers in the north last year survived on government drought relief as their main source of food because of recurring droughts, this year some farmers have cause to celebrate good harvests.
One of them is Timoteus Paulus a farmer from Omagalanga Village in Oshikuku Constituency, Omusati Region. He is over the moon with his good mahangu harvest this year compared to the previous three years’ low returns.
When New Era visited Paulus last week, neighbours were helping Paulus thresh his mahangu because the work was too much for him and his wife.
“I received training from the agriculture ministry on how to use modern techniques to adapt to climate change,” said Paulus, adding that he sowed the pearl millet (mahangu) seeds towards the end of last year.
Having learnt new techniques from agriculture ministry officials he no longer uses conventional ploughing methods.
But Paulus urged the government to make the price of fertilisers more affordable to all farmers so that they can have better harvests that will help reduce drought relief food handouts to them.
“I bought fertilizer from the ministry of agriculture and used it in my field together with the seeds, because the manure is expensive. But I could not buy enough for the whole field,” he narrated.
He said that this year he harvested mahangu that filled two big silos and a small one.
He said he only worked his field with members of his household and did not invite other people because he “cultivated at the right time”, and thus did not need extra hands – but he certainly needed extra help to thresh the bountiful mahangu harvest.