Sawi Hausiku

RUNDU – The Sikondo Green Scheme in the Kavango West region successfully harvested 300 tonnes of potatoes in January this year, farm manager Maxwell Nghidinwa said.

“We received our potato seeds from South Africa, and are busy treating them. We want to start planting the second cycle of about 10 to 13 hectares of potatoes,” he said during a recent tour of the farm with Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform officials.

Nghidinwa told Nampa that one of their strategies is to focus on cultivating crops that are heavily-imported and often expensive for Namibian consumers.

“When you look at statistics, the consumption of potatoes has significantly increased while the prices have also increased,” he said, noting that the farm is trying to produce more in order to supply the local market with affordable prices for the end-user.

The green scheme has a competitive advantage, as the ministry of agriculture invested in equipment such as a potato- sorting machine, which enables washing, brushing, drying and packing.

The second cycle of potatoes will be harvested around June 2025, while the third cycle will be planted in July 2025 and harvested in December 2025.

In addition to potatoes, the farm is scheduled to harvest 120 hectares of maize in May, and plant wheat in the same month, with the wheat harvest anticipated in October 2025.

Sikondo has 850 hectares of arable land under irrigation, divided into medium-scale (approximately 270 hectares) and commercial-scale (approximately 320 hectares) farming sections.

The farm has a staff complement of 32 workers from the surrounding villages, with some employed on contract.