NAMIBIA (13 October)
Despite heavy rains and flooding in recent months in Caprivi and Kavago, the north-eastern provinces,the 2004 total cereal production has been estimated by the Namibia Early Warning and Food Information Unit (NEWFIU) at 131 000 tonnes, 28 percent higher than last year’s above average output. At the current level of consumption, this would result in about 150 000 tonnes of cereal imports, largely on commercial basis.
Farmers who suffered crop and infrastructure damage due to flooding, as well as HIV/AIDS orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) are recognized as the most vulnerable groups requiring emergency assistance.
According to the UN’s Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN), the valuation of commercial farmland is nearing completion which will be used to create a land-tax fund to finance, in part, the state's acquisition of agricultural land for the purpose of resettling thousands of landless Namibians.