ONDANGWA: Executive Director in the Office of the Prime Minister, I-Ben Nashandi has encouraged subsistence farmers to apply for the drought relief programme to avoid losing animals.

Nashandi in an interview with Nampa on Wednesday said farmers should acquaint themselves with the subsidy and get the forms that are available at the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform (MAWLR) offices so they can get help from the government.

He also encouraged farmers to sell and destock, as the government can compensate them in this regard.

“The subsidy we are giving is limited to the number of animals they have,” Nashandi said while encouraging farmers to attend the information-sharing sessions in order to better understand how the subsidy works.

Nashandi said this after the Mangetti Farmers Association (MFA) treasurer, Tomas Ndiwakalunga raised concern about the criteria used for the farmers to qualify for the government drought relief programme that was launched in October this year.

Ndiwakalunga said they are still awaiting government assistance despite losing 30 cattle in September and October this year due to the heavy drought they have experienced.

“The process is too slow and even though we try to buy animal feed from stores, it is never enough for our animals, so we keep our hope on the government to rescue us through the drought relief programme for our livestock,” said Ndiwakalunga.

The MFA consists of about 350 commercial, semi-communal and subsistence farmers hailing from the northern regions of Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto, Ohangwena and Kavango West that highly depend on livestock farming, especially cattle.

The government through the OPM launched the drought relief programme effective from 01 October to June 2024. The livestock programme which incorporates livestock marketing incentives and subsidies for fodder purchased, grazing leases, and transportation for grazing areas was implemented until March 2024.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency