Hanks Saisai
According to a study conducted by the Namibian Agronomic Board (NAB), the country’s fruit production sector accounts for about 4% of local production (a mere 732 tonnes), compared to an estimated 20 282 tonnes imported from other countries to meet local demand.
Most fruits consumed in Namibia, such as apples, pears and bananas, are seldom produced in the country. To this end, oranges and grapes are amongst the most supplied fruits from local producers.
Fruit commodities predominantly exported from Namibia consist of grapes (about 28 483 tonnes) and mangoes (81 tonnes). Moreover, in recent years, blueberries are among the popular fruits exported to the EU market.
To this end, growing fruits remains an untapped farming enterprise that may offer a variety of opportunities for many Namibians. For instance, establishing a nursery that specialises in the production of certified fruit trees may offer a good niche market for fruit trees, such as apples, guavas, bananas, oranges, mangoes and lemons.
If each fruit tree costs about N$40 for ungrafted seedlings on average and about N$120 for grafted seedlings, and a farmer were to produce 200 ungrafted seedlings, an income of about N$8 000 can be generated per annum.
Furthermore, if a farmer produces 200 grafted seedlings over one year and sells them for N$120 per seedling, an income of N$24 000 can be generated.
Another opportunity that can be exploited is the actual growing of fruit trees on a commercial basis to offer local markets with high-quality fruit trees.
If a farmer embarks on the production of fruits, such as oranges, guavas and lemons, the following business scenario can be expected: If a farmer were to prepare one hectare (1 ha) and plant orange trees to produce high-quality fresh oranges that will be sold to formal markets, 667 orange fruit trees can be planted if the farmer implements the recommended spacing of five metres between rows and three metres within rows.
The trees will take about three years before they start yielding fruits, with each orange tree producing about six tonnes per ha.
Once the trees reach peak production, which is around years eight to 15, the yield will increase to an estimated 20 tonnes (20 000 kg) per ha. With average farm gate prices of N$25 per kg, a farmer can realise an annual revenue of about N$500 000 from the sales proceeds of oranges.
On the other hand, if a farmer were to embark on the production of guavas to serve formal and informal markets, about 118 trees could be grown by the farmer on 0.5 hectares if the farmer applies the recommended spacing of 6.5 metres between rows and 6.5 metres within rows. Each tree has the potential to produce about 75 kg, and a total yield of 8 850 kg from the 0.5 ha plot is possible.
Moreover, if the farmer sells the guavas for N$8.90 per kg, a total revenue of N$78 765 per annum is possible from the sales proceeds. Finally, the most significant opportunity that fruit tree production offers farmers and communities is the fresh supply of oxygen all year round.
Moreover, planting trees can contribute towards mitigating the detrimental effects of climate change. Farmers and all Namibians are, therefore, urged to support the local production of fruits to levels that surpass local demand to expand fruit exports to foreign markets, thus contributing to the agriculture sector and the overall GDP of the country.
*Hanks Saisai is a technical advisor on crops and poultry at Agribank.