WINDHOEK – Plans are on the cards to upgrade the gravel road between Aussenkehr and Rosh Pinah to bitumen standard. Once upgraded the road would immediately rake in millions of dollars for Namibia, when grapes from Aussenkehr that are currently shipped through the port of Cape Town will be exported via the road to Walvis Bay.
The Roads Authority said it would conduct a feasibility study on the viability of upgrading the gravel road, following a request by the governor of //Karas Region Bernardus Swartbooi. “I have spoken to the Roads Authority to make the upgrading of this road a priority.
Government has already invested over N$80 million into the Aussenkehr area. The private sector says they are willing to put up 350 houses in the development and they are also making huge investments in farm infrastructure, including irrigation systems,” Swartbooi told New Era recently. It is estimated that Namibia exported a total of 4.5 million cartons of grapes after the last harvesting season, about 99 percent of which was produced in the Aussenkehr valley. Of the grapes exported during the last season about 60 percent went to mainland Europe, while 30 percent went to the United Kingdom and 10 percent went to the Far East.
“The Roads Authority has taken note of the governor’s request. The next phase is for the RA to do a feasibility study, which will be done in the next financial year. The feasibility study will determine the next steps to be taken, which could involve the design and sourcing of funds. The cost of the project will only be known after the feasibility study,” said Roads Authority spokesperson, Hileni Fillemon. The factors that would determine the practicality of a tar road from Aussenkehr to Rosh Pinah include the anticipated number of cars and trucks on the road, the economic viability, as well as the environmental impact of the project.
Fillemon however added that the RA’s immediate priority is the upgrading of the Rosh Pinah-Oranjemund road to bitumen standard. Namibia’s grape harvest is very attractive in overseas markets due to the local climate that enables Namibian grapes to reach lucrative European markets about a month before competitors in other countries are able to do so. This advantage is mainly due to climatic conditions, which enable Namibian grown grapes to ripen earlier. Some grape farmers at Aussenkehr envisage a brandy distillery and a juice factory to add value to Namibian grapes as possible future developments, while others intend to diversify their range of fresh produce offerings.
By Edgar Brandt