ONGWEDIVA – Oshana regional council on Friday rolled out a programme to support farmers with goats.

The council is giving 480 goats to 88 farmers in all 11 constituencies in the region. A first-of-its-kind initiative in the region, the council aims to support farmers in the region to become food-secure and grow the local economy.

“This project is initiated by the Oshana Regional Council to empower our local farmers. The aim and objective of the programme is to support local farmers to be able to farm. About 480 goats will be distributed to  eight beneficiaries per constituency, where every beneficiary will receive 10 goats,” said Teopolina Mbangula, the director of planning in the Oshana Regional Council.

The first handover took place at Ongwediva.

The director said goat farming is essential in Oshana because the manure can be used as fertiliser for their crop fields, thereby boosting food production.

Mbangula added that the recipients are expected to farm and breed goats for the next beneficiaries to enable the council to support more farmers under the same programme. “We will be doing inspections to assist our farmers so that these goats can breed and multiply, and give them over to the next person,” she stated.

Hammeriza Shilunga, a beneficiary from the Ongwediva constituency, thanked the government for coming to their aid.

“I am pleading for us to thank the government for coming to our aid. I encourage all of us to take farming seriously. I ask God to send us more rain to get enough feed for the livestock,” said the beneficiary.

Prior to receiving the goats, the farmers were trained in animal husbandry, animal health and feeding.

*Nuusita Ashipala is an information officer at MICT, Oshana.