Curoca – At least 700 agricultural fields of sorghum and maize in the municipality have been affected by the drought that occurred between December and January in southern Cunene province, the local director of Agriculture, Amiraldo Sikola, said Friday.
As a result, 1,400 families in the municipality have seen their crops affected, mainly in the towns of Maine, Lotembo, Tumbeulo and Waru.
The official disclosed the information on the sidelines of a visit by the municipal administrator of Curoca, Domingos Taby, who assessed the affected farms and the damage caused by the drought.
Amiraldo Sikola said that after the prolonged absence of rain over a period of 42 days, most of the crops produced ended up drying out.
"Rain is currently falling regularly in the region, encouraging many families, because the sorghum crops in some ploughlands are showing signs of recovery," he said.
The 2023/2024 agricultural campaign in the municipality of Curoca covers 3,173 peasant families assisted so far with 22 tones of millet and maize to increase production.
The municipality of Curoca, 333 kilometres from the city of Ondjiva, has 48,40 inhabitants, divided into two communes, Oncócua and Chitado.
Agricultural campaign in the province
The current agricultural campaign in Cunene is expected to harvest 278,683 tonnes of various products, compared to more than 500,000 tonnes in the previous season. 151,286 families are involved.
To make this harvest a success, 520 tonnes of varied seeds have been made available, while some 151,284 hectares is also planned for the current agricultural season, of which 113,463 are to be animal-attracted, 22,692 mechanically and 14,741 manually.
Cunene controls 119 co-operatives and 160 farmers' associations. PEM/LHE/ASS/TED/AMP
