Staff Reporter
THE Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform is accelerating the servicing and repair of tractors and agricultural implements across the country to ensure farmers have access to functional machinery ahead of the 2026/27 summer cropping season.
The National Tractor and Agricultural Implements Servicing Intervention is currently under way at the Rundu Agricultural Technology Centre in the Kavango East Region, as well as at other agricultural technology centres, with the ministry targeting machinery across all 14 regions.
The servicing programme forms part of preparations for the upcoming ploughing season, which is scheduled to run from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027.
Photos: Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water & Land Reform
Diesel Technician at the Rundu Technology Centre, Alex Namwira, said teams had been instructed to service tractors in Kavango East, Kavango West and the Zambezi Region, as well as tractors from the other regions.
“We were given the directive in Rundu East and West, plus Zambezi, to service all tractors. So, we started already yesterday. We are busy servicing all tractors in the regions,” Namwira said.
He said the work was not limited to routine servicing, as technicians were also repairing major mechanical problems identified on tractors and agricultural implements.
“We are not only servicing, we are also repairing all major problems that we find on the implements and everything so they can be ready to plough when the rainy season comes,” he said.
Namwira said one of the tractors being worked on at the Ongwediva Agricultural Technology Centre had developed a leaking top gasket that required repair.
He said once the servicing programme was completed, farmers would be able to access the machinery through leasing arrangements with the Ministry of Agriculture to obtain mechanised ploughing services.
Meanwhile, Acting Executive Director of the ministry, Petrus-Canicius Nangolo, visited the Ongwediva Agricultural Technology Centre in the Oshana Region to assess preparations for the servicing of tractors and agricultural implements.
The ministry said the visit was aimed at ensuring that the centre was prepared to support farmers in the surrounding areas and beyond.
The Outapi Agricultural Development Centre and Rundu Agricultural Technology Centre were expected to conclude their servicing programmes on Friday.
Nangolo was also briefed on progress towards the planned auction of agricultural implements to farmers at subsidised rates.
The ministry advised members of the public to monitor its official communication platforms for information regarding the auction, including the qualifying criteria, registration and bidding procedures.
Chief Agricultural Scientific Officer Martin Shikongo said the ministry was moving with speed to ensure that machinery was ready for the summer cropping season.
“Following our announcement that we have just made that the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform, this season around, we want to move with speed to be prepared for the summer cropping season,” Shikongo said.
He said his visit included the Ongwediva Agricultural Technology Centre, where diesel technicians were working on the servicing of tractors and matching implements in preparation for the cropping season.
The ministry said the intervention was intended to improve the availability of mechanised services and support farmers as they prepare for the upcoming planting season.
Photos: Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water & Land Reform
