Food baskets in Namibia are overlooked: Mbambo

WALVIS BAY, 01 AUG  – Kavango-East Governor, Dr Samuel Mbambo has hit out at Government’s misplaced priorities in the quest for food security as regions with the potential to feed the entire nation are overlooked during the allocation of resources.
Mbambo, who recently spoke to Nampa in Walvis Bay, where he gave a presentation on his region’s upcoming Food Expo, lamented the fact that there are regions that can feed the entire country but adequate resources are not apportioned to them.
Government, he explained can only make real progress if it identifies the regions that have the ability with fertile grounds and enough water to feed the nation, before shifting focus to other regions as far as food security and production is concerned.
He particularly pointed to the two Kavango regions, Zambezi and Kunene as regions with the potential to become Namibia’s bread baskets.
The Governor maintained that the beginning of any country’s wealth and economic development is founded on food security as the cornerstone.
“If we can make it serious for ourselves to go and produce food that is enough for the country and enough for export, we will be in a better position of thinking about other things,” he stressed.
Earlier this year, Rundu Urban Constituency Councillor, Victoria Kauma bemoaned that the distribution of Namibia’s resources and development programmes that seek to address poverty are skewed.
Mbambo, agreeing with Kauma’s observations said: “I agree with the councillor who says let us prioritise regions that can do it for us, especially in terms of food production. We should not only talk. Let us walk the talk.”
The Kavango East Food Expo is slated for 04 to 08 September this year in Rundu and will serve as a business platform where stakeholders in food and agricultural production in Namibia can meet to network and establish business ties, Mbambo said.
(NAMPA)