By Brigitte Weidlich

WINDHOEK, Nov 12 (IPS) - Almost two decades after independence Namibia's land reform shows positive results and is guided by fair laws, but bureaucracy, slow progress in transformation of land ownership and unclear criteria for expropriation are overshadowing successes.

Government plans to spend 370 million dollars over the next 12 years to acquire 10,3 million hectares of commercial farmland to resettle 6,730 families by 2020.

Another five million ha of communal land will be portioned off into small farming units for citizens previously disadvantaged by colonialism and South Africa's imposition of apartheid policies on the territory.

This will require an additional 5,3 million dollars a year, says a report of the ministry of lands and resettlement.

Agriculture contributes around 6.5 percent to the country's gross domestic product.

According to the ministry of lands, 240,000 applicants are on its list for resettlement, but the list has never been made public. Any previously disadvantaged Namibian, rich or poor can apply.

Government has bought 256 farms since independence and 2,000 families have been resettled. The land ministry's annual budget for land acquisition increased from two to five million dollars in 2003.
During the financial year 2007-08, ending in March, 17 commercial farms were bought for eight million dollars. Prices averaged between 100,000 dollars to one million dollars per farm.

''This figure clearly demonstrates that the allocation of five million dollars annually for land acquisition is not sufficient, given the high prices of land,'' lands minister Alfeus Naruseb told Namibia's parliament recently.

For the full article, please visit: http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=44666