WINDHOEK – Olivia and John Shimpanda from the Nehale constituency in Oshikoto region, are happy with their tractor and ripper which they have bought through a loan from Kongalend.
“We are very, very happy to be Lead Farmers on the NCAP project and successful Kongalend loan applicants, and to have received our tractor and ripper. This means a lot to us. We have already been busy lining up customers, and will now start ripping. This is a dream come true. We are now agri-business entrepreneurs, appreciate the two farmers adding this is farmers’ empowerment. The have been experiencing a severe lack of tractors and rippers since conservation tillage was introduced by the CONTILL project that spear-headed the introduction of conservation agriculture in Namibia. However, they will now work intensively with the tractor owners and drivers to rip furrow as many hectares as they can. Their goal now is to rip 5,000 hectares before the end of January 2015. There will be no time for holidays this season,” affirms Tuhafeni Nghilunanye, the CES Assistant Project Manager.
NCBA CLUSA has trained 150 tractor drivers in rip furrowing and in conservation agriculture theory as part of the NCAP services to farmers and tillage providers. Hoffman’s Farm Implements has also come to the party to offer technical training to the new tractor owners. Its representative, Pius Josef, will be on hand in the northern regions in the weeks to come for training and follow-up meetings with the new tractor owners.
Those interested in applying for the Lima Power agri-business loan should contact Kongalend at 061-241 440, their nearest Kongalend offices, in Ondangwa, Oshakati and Rundu, its agents in Katima Mulilo and Walvis Bay, or its headquarters in Windhoek.Farmers interested in rip furrowing land preparation services may contact Nghilunanye on mobile telephone number: 081-624 30 20 for the contact details of the CES NCAP Regional Co-ordinators, the NCBA CLUSA tillage service provider Co-ordinator and the Namibia National Farmers Union (NNFU), who are directly working with the conservation tillage service providers in the Kavango East, Kavango West, Ohangwena, Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto and Zambezi regions.