ORANJEMUND – Situated on the banks of the Orange River, Oranjemund ‘s OMDis Nursery Project remains at the centre of economic development at the town, as it continues devising new ways of doing business and reaching markets. 

The nursery’s manager, Ettiene de Jagger, said apart from producing top-quality vegetables, they also contribute towards beautifying the town’s streets with trees and assist primary schools as part of their corporate social responsibility.

 “OMDis assisted the Ambrosius Amutenya Primary School at the town to put up their own school garden, and they can now supplement the school-feeding programme with the vegetables they grow themselves. Now, learners are provided with a maize blend daily, which is wonderful,” de Jagger said. 

The agricultural enterprise, which is one of the biggest here, has now set itself the goal of becoming the largest supplier of vegetables and related produce to residents of nearby settlements, such as Rosh Pinah and others. 

De Jagger said young plants were also donated to various businesses at the town as part of beautifying it and maintaining the greenery. 

“We are experimenting with fruit trees, of which some will be sold to the town’s residents to grow them further for fruit consumption. We also grow cabbages, onions, beans, strawberries and different kinds of chillies, which we are primarily selling to the Welwitschia Catering Company, which caters for Namdeb mineworkers operating at sites outside town,” he added.

De Jagger said they started growing carrots six years ago and have now expanded to a point where they harvest up to 1 247 tonnes of green peppers and 5 497 tonnes of cucumbers.

They likewise supply Cassava roots to various customers in Windhoek, who grind  it into gluten-free maize meal.   

The nursery is furthermore growing some vegetables under hydroponic tunnels. 

However, they need to install climate-control tunnels in future to counter bad weather conditions like severe cold, hail, rain and strong winds, which are not conducive to crop growth. 

Some of the produce is sold to Oranjemund residents and those from nearby areas during the nursery’s monthly open market day. 

“One of our goals is to supply local vendors in the area with vegetables at an affordable price so that they can also resell them to the public for a small profit. This project forms part of a special-purpose vehicle, set to manage the task of transforming Oranjemund into an economically diverse local authority,” De Jagger continued.