ONGWEDIVA – Many farmers in the northern parts of the country have started panicking over delayed rainfall and murmurs that harvests would be poor this year.

Despite the delayed rainfall some farmers have already started to till their crops, while some seeds are observed to have sprouted already.

The situation not only affects crop farmers, but also those dealing in livestock.
Some farmers have already started to lose livestock as a result of lack of water and feed in some areas.
Despite the circumstances, the Governor of Ohangwena Region Usko Nghaamwa has urged farmers to keep pushing and not give up.

Due to limited grazing areas as a result of a lack of rainfall, some Namibian farmers are still grazing their animals in Angola.
Nghaamwa said his office has not yet received complaints concerning the Namibian farmers in Angola.
Queried on the number of farmers who cross yearly to graze on the Angolan side, Nghaamwa said the region is planning to compile statistics to keep track of how many Namibians and livestock are in Angola.

Given the prevailing circumstances, Nghaamwa also appealed to farmers to sell their livestock while they still look healthy.
“By selling you would at least have money in place of watching your livestock die one by one,” said Nghaamwa. 
Nghaamwa equally urged buyers to stick to a market related price.

“Farmers opt not to sell because of the low packages offered by customers,” Nghaamwa said further.
Uuvudhiya Constituency Councillor Amutenya gwaNdahafa, the constituency being one of the areas which is usually drought stricken, said the feed in the area is much better compared to the last two years.

But he said the lack of rainfall has resulted in a lack of water leading to the death of some livestock as the water is too salty.
The councillor said some farmers have already lost cattle in numbers.

“The situation is this, in areas where there is feed there is no water; where there is water there is no feed so livestock trek a distance to get both,” the councillor said.

In Omusati Region, Governor Erginus Endjala said the region will sit towards the end of the month to review its programmes in order to determine which ones will be amicable in the situation of low rainfall.

Amongst such programmes is Operation Tulongeni which was launched last year by President Hage Geingob.
The operation was launched to encourage crop production in the country.
Endjala said the operation would continue, but the region is still very dry.