Benefits of registering as a crop farmer

It is important to register as a crop producer with the Namibian Agronomic Board (NAB) when venturing into the production of fresh produce like vegetables, fruits or cereal grains, as it holds numerous benefits and opportunities that are to the advantage of a farmer.

Agribank’s technical advisor for crops and poultry, Hanks Saisai, said that as a registered producer, a farmer becomes recognised as a legitimate producer of crops in Namibia, which opens up doors to both formal and informal markets.

Secondly, once registered as a producer with NAB, farmers are allocated to one of the following production zones: Zambezi, Kavango, Karst, north central, central, south or the Orange zones.

“The producer then actively starts to contribute towards the local production of crops in that respective zone.”



Benefits

Saisai said another benefit of registering as a producer is that farmers can stipulate whether their crop products are produced organically or with the use of chemicals. They can also indicate the intended market for their produce, whether domestic or for export.

“In addition, a registered NAB producer is allocated a producer category depending on the size of land under production.”

He explained that small producers are usually farmers who produce crops on a piece of land ranging from 0.5 hectares to 30 hectares, while medium-size crop producers produce crops on a piece of land that ranges from 30 hectares to 60 hectares.

“Usually, the last category is for large producers that produce crops on more than 60 hectares of land.”

Saisai said the producer size category informs NAB to notify traders about the quantities likely to be produced by farmers of certain crops, depending on the producer’s production category.

He said that, from a regulatory and compliance point of view, registering with NAB offers the producer the opportunity to comply with food safety standards that ensure consumers are offered food that is safe for human consumption.

“Furthermore, the registration enables farmers to specify which type of horticultural or agronomic crops they will produce.”

This enables one to inform the market what kind of crops are being produced, the expected yield in kilograms at the time of harvest and when the crops will be ready for the market.



Essential

Saisai said that, additionally, when farmers are registered producers, they get access to information about the forecasted production of crops and the volumes needed in the market.

“This information is essential as it helps farmers produce crops at times when there is a shortage in the market and ensures that they understand the quantities demanded by the market.”

Saisai added that, to the benefit of smallholder farmers, the production forecast information offered by NAB empowers them to strategise their production by ensuring that they produce high-quality products in the correct quantity and in a staggered manner to ensure that they can supply markets during periods where local production is low.

NAB also ensures that local farmers are protected from cheaper imports by enforcing laws and regulations that ensure that local traders prioritise trading with local producers, and only when local production is low can traders be issued import licenses.

Farmers are encouraged to regularly consult the NAB to stay informed about the latest developments in the crop sector.