Mahangu, also
known as pearl millet is generally a subsistence dry-land cereal crop
which is the major staple food crop produced for a large number of
people especially in the North Central Regions , Kavango and Caprivi
region( non-mahangu consumers).
This crop is highly adapted to low rainfall
and the prevailing soil conditions in the North Central Regions and
the Kavango. For many years, small-scale farmers have survived on the
low yields generally obtained from mahangu. The farmers in the mentioned
areas are amongst the very few populations in Africa that have successfully
developed an integrated food storage system. Farmers store their grain
for up to five years in storage baskets made of wood strips.
Since independence,
farmers co-operatives, the government and the Agronomic Board were concerned about mahangu production and marketing in the communal areas. A mahangu task team was established during March/April 1995, which resulted in the establishment of the Mahangu Marketing Intelligence Unit (MMIU), managed
by the Agronomic Board on a contract basis. Its aim was to commercialise
small scale mahangu farmers in the North Central Regions and the Kavango
to regulate and promote the market for this Namibian staple food. However
MMIU came to an end on the 15th January 2006.
On 5th July 2005 Cabinet
resolved that, in principle, mahangu should become a controlled product
under the Namibian Agronomic Board Act 20 of 1992. The Namibian Agronomic
Board should see that all conditions are fulfilled and all disputes
must immediately be referred to the office of the Namibian Agronomic
Board. As from the 1st May every year borders will be shut for imports/exports
of mahangu. Importers and exporters of mahangu must present a permit of the Namibian Agronomic Board as well as an invoice of purchase issued by the seller at the borders.
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From then onwards it is a free market within the boundaries of Namibia, but in line with the floor price, based on 5 year average of the SAFEX price. Registered Mahangu millers should buy as much mahangu as possible from Namibia Producers.
All millers (other than
service millers) who buy or mill their own mahangu for the purpose
of selling mahangu flour will have to be registered with the Namibian
Agronomic Board and be obligatory to pay levy. Producers who sell mahangu
to millers also will have levy deducted at the point of sales.
Because
it is impossible to say in advance whether it will be a good or a poor
mahangu season, it is impossible to instruct institutional caterers
during the tender process exactly how many mahangu- based meals should
be served per week in regions were mahangu is staple food. Therefore,
every year on or about the 15th September, after the mahangu millers
have bought their annual requirements and after a survey has determined
how much Namibian farmers still want to market their mahangu, the NAB will issue an instruction to catering companies in regions where mahangu is consumed, on
the percentage, if any, of maize meal per week that should be substituted
with mahangu flour. The affected institutional caterers will then procure
such mahangu flour from the registered mahangu millers (just like maize
meal). This should ensure that all Namibian Mahangu has a guaranteed
market, before the following marketing season.
That, in order to make
the above possible mahangu and maize meal must be mutually interchangeable
for institutional caterers and therefore, the price of mahangu grain and maize grain must be the same. Therefore the same price agreement and marketing mechanism will apply to both maize and mahangu as soon as mahangu is gazetted. |
