Asparagus project for Omusati region

The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry and a Spanish company, Industrias Alimentarias de Navarra (IAN) on Wednesday signed a partnership agreement for an asparagus agro-processing project.The 10-year agreement allows for the Spanish company to grow 60 hectares of white asparagus within the Etunda Green Scheme Irrigation Project in the Omahenene area of the Omusati Region.Speaking at the signing ceremony, line minister John Mutorwa said the project is a result of collaborative efforts that started in 2015, when the company ran some trials on asparagus production at the ministry’s Omahenene Research Station.“The result obtained from the trials were positive, hence the collective decision to take the project to another high level,” said Mutorwa.Mutorwa said the project will trigger capital investment of about N$8.8 million to adapt the existing irrigation system at Etunda. A further N$25 million will be pumped into the construction of a processing factory at Ruacana.During the first phase of production at least 175 employment opportunities will be created, of which 25 will be permanent. Phase two of the project will see 120 people employed.“Given that the substantial part of the harvest will be exported, the project is geared to generate the much-needed foreign currency for the country,” Mutorwa said.IAN representative Carlos Lertxundi said the project will be a first in Africa but among others in South America, Europe and Asia.Lertxundi said the 60 hectares will produce 460 tonnes of asparagus which will be exported and some will be sold locally depending on the availability of interested distributors.“We have been busy since last year July with the soil preparation and currently installing the drip irrigation system which is the most efficient way to utilise water and to grow asparagus under the region’s climatic condition,” said Lertxundi.The factory will be fully operational by December 2018 if everything goes according to plan, he said. - Nampa

Asparagus project for Omusati region

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