KEETMANSHOOP -The Namibia Industrial Development Agency (Nida) has recruited seasonal workers during the harvesting and packaging of grapes and dates at the Naute irrigation project outside Keetmanshoop.
This is done each year.
When recently interviewed by New Era, farm manager Simon Akwenye said with the ongoing harvesting and packaging of dates, a total of 350 unemployed residents from the region are currently employed by the agency. “They signed four-month contracts and are provided with accommodation on-site, but need to buy their own food,” he said.
Asked about allegations that the dates’ production has been outsourced to a private company, Akwenye responded that Nida now sells the produce directly to a private entrepreneur, who then markets and exports it to international markets.
This removes their burden of finding ideal export destinations in a highly- competitive industry.
Referring to the recently-concluded grape harvest, he said: “In total, 75 385 cartons have been exported during 2024/2025 season. But since the last fruits are still arriving in the export market, sales have not been concluded yet.” He further indicated that a skilled workforce to produce good-quality produce, sufficient water for production and the advantage of the farm being strategically located to the local ports for the export of the produce, are the agency’s biggest strengths, whilst available land for expansion and conducive weather conditions to produce high-value crops are further counting in their favour.
“Challenges we are experiencing are, among others, limited financial resources, outdated grape varieties, wrong rootstocks and planting spaces, high input costs, competition with both local and international producers, and global challenges such as wars and pandemics,” the manager said.