Farmers should innovate Swapo veteran politician and farmer, Ben Amathila has urged famers to become more innovative to cope with the unpredictability of the weather in the country. Speaking at the Agri-Outlook Conference that was held last week Amathila said that farmers are currently experiencing circumstances that are difficult to comprehend.
“There is a dark cloud hanging over the country and the agricultural sector. We are experiencing one of the severest droughts that the country has encountered,” said Amathila.
He said that while agriculture has become a mainstay for the country and several achievements have been made in the sector, farmers are on the verge of losing everything they have produced.
“Farmers'' profitability is at stake and some are on the verge of giving up,” he said.
Amathila said that young people are also becoming more educated and are no longer interested in farming, leaving it up to the older generation which does not have the resources or strength to cope with the challenges and the pressure that the sector is currently faced with.
He therefore stressed that due to unpredictable weather in the country, farmers have to equip themselves for tough times.
He said one of the ways that they can do this is to use solar energy as well as produce electricity from making use of encroaching bush.
This he said is necessary so that in times of need, such as the on-going drought, farmers do not have to turn to government for help.
“Proud people that we are, it is not nice to ask government for a bailout,” he said.
He pointed out that N$3 billion is being spent to buy electricity from other countries, while farmers and other Namibians should instead produce their own electricity and this money can be paid to them.
ELLANIE SMIT