Agri-business revolution in Omusati

The Omusati Region is in the process of establishing a variety of facilities for those interested in agri-business.Omusati governor Erginus Endjala has urged the local business community to seize the opportunities that will be availed for them by government, in order to make the region productive.Speaking during his State of the Region Address at Outapi (SORA) last week, Endjala said in their quest to turn the region into an agricultural and industrial hub, various manufacturing facilities will be established.He said business opportunities will soon be available in meat processing and other value-addition in the agri-business sector.“It is pleasing to inform you that there is a window of opportunity in industrial development. This can be achieved through the establishment of industries and manufacturing businesses such as for the manufacturing of toilet paper, a mahangu processing plant, spaghetti, cereals and biscuits, a steel processing plant, the processing of gypsum for cement production, the manufacturing of quality slabs, stones or bricks, a waste recycling plant and logistics.“It is evident there are abundant and untapped resources within our region. However, the region is not in a position to tap and utilise such resources, due to a lack of resources, expertise and exposure. Thus, it is high time for all of us to seriously engage one another through investment models such as public-private partnerships (PPPs), direct private investment, build-operate-transfer (BOT) models and other possible business ventures,” Endjala said.He said the construction of projects such as an asparagus processing plant at Oshifo in Ruacana, a tomato processing plant at the Omahenene Business Park in Onesi and tomato production both at Etunda and along the Olushandja Dam, are underway“As we speak, the Ministry of Industrialisation, Trade and SME Development has already transferred N$32 million to our Namibia High Commission in India to procure the necessary machinery and technology for a tomato processing plant at the Omahenene border post. The land earmarked for the construction of the asparagus processing plant has already been handed over to the company for the construction at Oshifo in Ruacana to start by the end of the month.” Endjala said the idea is to inaugurate all the processing plants concurrently so that the region can make a meaningful impact to the agro-processing revolution. He said the future of the region looks brighter anticipated, as far as the promotion of development is concerned.Endjala added that another game-charger is the Outapi abattoir that opened its doors in Outapi earlier this month. He said currently this is the only operating abattoir in the entire Northern Communal Area (NCA). According to 2010 census of the Meat Board of Namibia, the region has approximately 275 000 herds of cattle, 245 000 goats and 15 000 sheep, making animal husbandry one of the main agricultural activities in Omusati. “Sadly, the majority of farmers do not perceive cattle farming as a business, but rather as a lifestyle, according to which their status and wealth are measured against the number of livestock families own. Therefore, business opportunities can be ventured into in meat processing, meat products and value-addition initiatives such as dairy products,” he said. He said the abattoir will improve the living standards of residents, especially farmers, if they take full advantage of selling their animals while they are in a good condition. “I therefore, want to encourage our farmers to make use of the opportunities. We are aware that the current rain patterns are very much unpredictable and our pasture is saturated by the number of livestock in our communal areas. We must again bear in mind that since the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease about five years back, we never had a proper market to destock our livestock, as per the census,” he said. ILENI NANDJATO

Agri-business revolution in Omusati

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Namibian Sun 2025-01-30

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Agri-business revolution in Omusati

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Namibian Sun 2025-01-30

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