RUNDU – The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, under the directorate of veterinary services, has vaccinated about 20 607 cattle against the foot-and-mouth disease in the Kavango East region, where there are often outbreaks of the livestock disease.
This was revealed by the Kavango East regional governor Bonifatius Wakudumo in his inaugural state of the region address (SORA) on Friday, where he reported on the activities about the region for the period 2019/2020 financial year. 

“About 529 pets were vaccinated against rabies during the period under review,” he said.  About 1 416 farmers benefitted from the N$1 million under the dryland crop production programme, 1 553 farmers received seed subsidy and 1 416 farmers with a combined 3 488 hectares benefited from ripping and ploughing services. The weeding subsidy covered 283 communal farmers, stated Wakudumo. 

In efforts to address the daunting climate challenges posing a serious and ever-growing threat to food and nutrition and food security for poor resourced subsistence farmers due to severe drought in the region, the ministry implemented a seed trials programme, involving 81 subsistence farmers and two government projects, namely MADI and Uvhungu-vhungu, to produce drought resistance seeds for the region. 
“I would like to report the first-year trials were a tremendous success,” Wakudumo said. “With regard to farmers’ capacity building, the ministry trained 3 789 farmers in improved agricultural technology and techniques,” he elaborated.
He further stated the construction of the Rundu abattoir is currently at 80% completion; completion is expected towards the end of the 2020 financial year. 
– jmuyamba@nepc.com.na