13 Jun 2024
Last year, Debmarine Namibia sponsored agricultural equipment for the University of Namibia (UNAM) Ogongo Campus, aiming to expand rice production and poultry development projects, as well as facilitate research, training, and community chicken production activities. This investment has yielded significant results, with the campus successfully harvesting 17 tonnes of rice from seven hectares—a notable increase from the previous three hectares. The campus now plans to further expand rice production to 10 hectares.
Debmarine Namibia's support included an incubator for fertilized eggs, chicken cages, chick crates, a pelleting machine, heat lamps, a beverage cooler, a water pump, irrigation pipes for rice paddies, and rice seedling trays, among other equipment, worth N$750,000.
The success of this sponsorship was celebrated at the recent Annual Rice Harvesting Festival, themed “Enhancing Household Food Security through Rice and Poultry Farming.” Several poulty and rice farmers were awarded for their hard word. Debmarine Namibia CEO Willy Mertens attended the festival, expressing his gratitude to UNAM for imparting valuable knowledge to farmers, who demonstrated their dedication through their impressive projects.
“I am thrilled to witness farmers taking bold steps to contribute to the food security of our dear country. I urge our farmers to follow the training provided by our students and trainers to enhance their productions. A few weeks ago, His Excellency President Nangolo Mbumba made a passionate plea to the international community to donate food to Namibia amid the worst drought in 100 years. Programms such as wetland-rice have the potential to boost our food security if we start harvesting rainwater," Merten stated.
Mertens also applauded the Japanese Government through the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for initiating the program at UNAM Ogongo Campus. “When we decided to support the UNAM Ogongo Campus in expanding rice cultivation, we knew we were building on the solid foundation laid by JICA,” he added.
UNAM Vice-Chancellor Prof. Kenneth Matengu echoed these sentiments, highlighting that since JICA’s assistance in 2012, the campus has trained local farmers in rice cultivation and continued to provide ongoing support in rice processing, significantly contributing to agricultural development in the region. He thanked Debmarine Namibia for their invaluable support, which enabled the campus to procure essential poultry equipment, increasing the poultry hatchery capacity from 370 to an astounding 4,000 chicks annually.
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