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Home / AMTA plays important role in grape industry
AMTA plays important role in grape industry
2017-09-26Staff Report 2 Matheus Hamutenya Aussenkehr-The Agro-Marketing and Trade Agency (AMTA) plays an important and crucial role in ensuring grape growers and exporters adhere to high quality standards, says its manager of the inspectorate of farms and facilities, Titus Nuuyoma. This role, Nuuyoma adds, was in the past filled by a South African agency, but producers are now able to rely on local people for the same services, which he says is even cheaper for the grape producers. He commended the grape producers for aiming for excellent standards, explaining that while AMTA does its inspections, the consignments are further tested once they reach their destination. Nuuyoma lauds Namibian grapes as among the best in the world, saying the fact that Namibian grapes easily meet European Union standards speaks volume of the high standards the grape industry adheres to. Further, he says, inspectors in European markets inspect products from other countries based on the reliability of the local inspectors, and in this regard AMTA has done exceptionally well. Only a few products from all exported volumes are inspected upon arrival in Europe. “This is evident as only about five percent of the whole volume of grapes exported is inspected on the other side, so it tells you that they know the kind of quality we provide,” he boasted about the high standards the grape industry maintains. AMTA is an agency under the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, is responsible for the management of Fresh Produce Business Hubs (FPBH) and National Strategic Food Reserve (NSFR) facilities, to ensure high quality standards. 2017-09-26Staff Report 2
