WINDHOEK – Site visits and evaluations of maize crops of the nominees for the Zambezi Dryland Maize Champion for 2014 have been completed.
The finalists are Lennox Kulobone of Sibbinda in Linyanti Constituency, Fred Mwabi of Chincimani in Sibbinda Constituency, and Alfred Mutakalilumo of Masokotwani in Sibbinda Constituency. All three farmers were evaluated on how they’ve adopted modern farming practice such as introducing fertilisers to their soil; the use of herbicides and pesticides with the ultimate aim of increasing the quality of their crop and maximising yield per hectare;
embracing modern farming techniques empowers farmers to bridge the gap between being communal producers; and being able to contribute their surplus produce into the formal market and commercial value chain in Namibia, among other criteria.
The site visits were conducted by an impartial team of evaluators, comprising a team of four each representing:
- the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry,
- the Agronomic Producers Association,
- the Likwama Farmer’s Union, and
- a representative of the Namibian Agronomic Board Secretariat.
“The evaluation went very well and we saw good quality maize and farming practices to quite a high standard”, says Antoinette Venter, who represented the Namibia Agronomic Board (NAB) Secretariat as an evaluator. She adds, “Our finalists have shown remarkable resilience in the face of last year’s drought and their efforts have paid off. Once again, the Zambezi Region has delivered a fine number of finalists for the 2014 title.”
The 2014 Zambezi Dryland Maize Champion will be announced at the Zambezi Trade Fair in August. For more information on the evaluation of the finalists for the 2014 Zambezi Dryland Maize Champion title, please contact Antoinette Venter, Administrative Manager at the Namibian Agronomic Board (NBA) on (061) 37 9500.