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The government said the decision was made to support national food security as it plans to close the borders for maize imports until all the mahangu surplus is traded.
The government announced that it would buy the mahangu available to Namibian farmers through the National Agency of Agro-marketing and Trade (Amta).
The executive director (formerly permanent secretary) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Percy Misika, announced yesterday in a press release.
Farmers in Mahangu are struggling to sell their surplus cereals after the harvest season in 2018.
Misika said the government had made arrangements with Amta to buy surplus mahangu in the country's agricultural areas.
"The NAB (Namibian Agronomic Council) will close the borders for the import of mahangu until all surplus available is marketed," he said.
Through radio messaging, Amta will educate producers who are willing to sell mahangu to register with them or to deliver their mahangu surplus directly to the National Strategic Food Reserve (NSFR).
The ministry said the agreement was reached via the NSFR to support national food security.
The grain supply program – white maize and mahangu – is usually held from May to October each year.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture's "Report on Crop Prospects and Food Security" for July 2018, white maize production was estimated at 59,000 metric tonnes (metric tonnes), of which 55,656 metric tonnes were marketed.
In the case of the mahangu, total production was estimated at 83,500 tons, of which about 3,600 tons were registered for official marketing, but to date only 1,361 tons have been marketed. This leaves a balance of 2,239 mt not marketed.
Misika said that to help surplus mahangu growers to sell their grain, the Minister of Agriculture has delegated Amta who agreed to buy the locally produced mahangu surplus grain and can not be bought by the farmers. millers.
The agency said the farmers had to make sure that their mahangu grain dated from the 2018 harvest season, that it was clean and free of living insects.
They also warned importers of mahangu that Amta would not issue import permits as long as any locally produced mahangu surpluses would not be sold.
Some of the farmers with whom the Namibian ministered in Kavango East and Kavango West reported having about 12,000 bags of unsold grain.
Mahangu farmers in Otjozondjupa reported storing about 2.7 tonnes of mahangu cereals on their farms.
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