More govt tractors needed to plough
Currently government supplies one tractor for ploughing and another for reaping to each of the six constituencies.
RUNDU – Councillor Petrus Kavhura of the Ndonga Linena constituency in the Kavango East region has called on government to supply more tractors to constituencies to help people to plough their fields.
Currently government supplies one tractor for ploughing and another for reaping to each of the six constituencies through the ministry of agriculture, water and forestry.
Kavhura says this is a challenge as the available tractors are not enough for ploughing.
He, however, added that the one tractor for reaping is enough for now.
“As our people do not really prefer to reap. But a tractor for disking is what is needed. We have more demand for disking than reaping,” he said.
The region received a good rainfall and therefore suggested that government increase the number of tractors to at least five per constituency to enable the people to cover more hectares.
“We have seen that people themselves are serious with cultivating and rain is seasonal, thus one tractor will not allow all farmers that want to cultivate their fields to finish their crop fields,” Kavhura said.
The chief agriculture scientific officer for the Kavango regions, Moses Munenge, said Kavango East has nine tractors and only seven are operational.
Breakdowns
The current tractors are 10 years old and as a result, the ministry experiences a lot of break downs, which causes delays in deploying them on time to the constituencies.
The tractor for Ndonga Linena is one of those that only came through to the constituency on 1 January this year.
“Given the number of tractors, we cannot just say the one at Mashare constituency should stop and go to Ndonga Linena when there are farmers who have also paid for services,” Munenge explained.
Government, he pointed out, is also assisted by private operators on a subsidy basis. However, farmers prefer government tractors as its services for ploughing are cheaper. - Nampa
Currently government supplies one tractor for ploughing and another for reaping to each of the six constituencies through the ministry of agriculture, water and forestry.
Kavhura says this is a challenge as the available tractors are not enough for ploughing.
He, however, added that the one tractor for reaping is enough for now.
“As our people do not really prefer to reap. But a tractor for disking is what is needed. We have more demand for disking than reaping,” he said.
The region received a good rainfall and therefore suggested that government increase the number of tractors to at least five per constituency to enable the people to cover more hectares.
“We have seen that people themselves are serious with cultivating and rain is seasonal, thus one tractor will not allow all farmers that want to cultivate their fields to finish their crop fields,” Kavhura said.
The chief agriculture scientific officer for the Kavango regions, Moses Munenge, said Kavango East has nine tractors and only seven are operational.
Breakdowns
The current tractors are 10 years old and as a result, the ministry experiences a lot of break downs, which causes delays in deploying them on time to the constituencies.
The tractor for Ndonga Linena is one of those that only came through to the constituency on 1 January this year.
“Given the number of tractors, we cannot just say the one at Mashare constituency should stop and go to Ndonga Linena when there are farmers who have also paid for services,” Munenge explained.
Government, he pointed out, is also assisted by private operators on a subsidy basis. However, farmers prefer government tractors as its services for ploughing are cheaper. - Nampa
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