Mega olive harvest expected

NAMPA A bumper harvest from the olive plantation at the Seal Processing Factory in Henties Bay is expected this month.Manager Gys Cilliers told Nampa that the plantation’s second harvest since last year May will take place in about two weeks and a bumper crop is expected.Cilliers said about 20 tonnes will be harvested this year compared to last year’s four tonnes.The plantation consists of 1 000 olive trees on four hectares. It was created in 2013 to create permanent employment for Namibians at the processing factory because the seal business is seasonal.The seal processing facility operates from July to November to produce seal products such as hides for leather.From planting, olive trees take about three years to bear fruit that take a year to ripen before being processed into olive oil or preserved for eating.The factory employs 96 people on a permanent basis.“There are four permanent employees at the plantation but we will recruit between 30 and 40 extra women to help us harvest,” Cilliers said.Employees interviewed by Nampa said they were grateful for the employment opportunity and hoped the plantation would continue to grow.“I was first working at the seal factory where I was paid N$14.50 an hour but when I moved to the olives, I am getting N$17.50 an hour, so there is more money for me,” said Johannes !Auxab.Mario Kambahe said the jobs provided to the community during the harvest were much needed.“A lot of people have no jobs so when this project employs them, I think it is very helpful.”Cilliers said the olives would be pressed to produce extra virgin or cold-pressed olive oil for the local market.Extra virgin olive oil is produced through an extraction process where the olives are pressed for the first time. Cold pressing at about 26 degrees Celsius preserves the flavour. Pressing the olives at a higher temperature does mean more oil coming out of one press but the heat destroys the flavours and aromas.Cilliers explained that the production process involves crushing olives into a thin paste. The paste is then transferred to another machine and mixed thoroughly. After that, a separation machine is used to siphon the oil from the pulp. The oil is then filtered, bottled and distributed to retailers.Cilliers said 3 000 more trees were planted last year and are expected to bear fruit within the next two years.“We also planted guavas and figs as a pilot project and they proved to be growing well, so next year we will plant more.”About 1 000 grapevines were planted on the same plot and Cilliers said they expected to produce wine within two years.He said they were waiting for the Henties Bay town council to approve an application for more land before expanding the olive plantation again.The expansion potential is limited, though. Cilliers said the project was sustained by groundwater from the Omaruru River, which was limited.“We will limit it to nine hectares to avoid depleting the groundwater,” he said.

Mega olive harvest expected

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-04

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Mega olive harvest expected

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-04

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