2018-01-10Staff Report 2 Staff Reporter Windhoek-The Minister of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, John Mutorwa says despite the excessive heat accompanied by a prolonged dry spell across the country, farmers should not lose hope as chances are that rains could still fall and bring relief to the crop-producing areas. Speaking to New Era in an impromptu telephone interview Mutorwa, who is still on a Christmas break along the Kavango River where he is indulging in his other passion of avidly reading one book after another, urged all subsistence and commercial farmers not to despair as it could still rain. He revealed that many crop farmers who mainly plant millet in areas he visited in Kavango West and Kavango East, while on his annual leave, took advantage of the downpours and have already ploughed and planted their fields. They are just praying for good follow-up rains as the ground moisture is now low. “Many farmers in Kavango East and Kavango West took advantage of the early rains and were hard at work, ploughing and planting,” quipped the agriculture, water and forestry minister. “We are keeping hope that rains will still fall to break the current dry spell. All farmers across the country should not lose hope,” Mutorwa, who also complained about the stifling and oppressive heat, exhorted all small-holding and commercial crop farmers across the country. Some farmers in the Zambezi Region have stopped ploughing due to the lack of rains. They say they are tired of the wait-and-see game as since the start of the year it has not rained – as a result the land is dry and they are left hopeless and in desperation as they like others rely on rains for their crops. 2018-01-10Staff Report 2
