Govt presses ahead with leasing green schemes
11 projects up for grabs
Government is unrepentant in its pursuit of privatising its agricultural projects, amid widespread dissent from some quarters.
Government is forging ahead with its plan to lease out 11 green schemes to local and international investors, despite widespread criticism.
News of the plan first broke in March when agriculture, water and land reform minister Calle Schlettwein told investors in Dubai that the Namibian government would issue a request for proposals to lease out the schemes in June.
The Namibia Local Business Association (Naloba) - through its vice-president Peter Amadhila - demanded that the opportunity be offered to Namibians only, adding that there is sufficient capacity in the country.
At the time, Schlettwein maintained that the agriculture sector needs significant investment to achieve much-needed reform - from extensive rain-fed agriculture to intensive irrigation agriculture. This, he said, needs significant investment, technology and skills development, which have to be sourced both locally and internationally.
Last week, agriculture deputy minister Anna Shiweda told a crowd at the opening of the Oshikuku agriculture and training expo that it is now the opportune time for the private sector to step in and meet government halfway to make existing projects more productive and to establish new ones to enable the country to achieve its set target of 27 000 hectares being used for production purposes.
Advertised
Meanwhile, adverts have been rolled out for the leasing of the Uvungu Vungu green scheme irrigation project, the Ndonga Linena green scheme irrigation project and the Orange River irrigation project. The Uvungu project has two components - milk production and green scheme/irrigation. Other projects are the Katima-Liselo green scheme in the Zambezi Region and the Neckartal Dam and Tandjieskoppe green schemes in //Karas.
The projects located in the southern parts of the country - Hardap and Orange River - produce stock feed and horticultural crops like dates, table grapes, watermelon, tomato, sweet potato, beetroot, carrots, butternut, gem squash, lettuce, sweet melon, pumpkin, broccoli and lucerne, while those located in the Kavango, Omusati and Zambezi regions produce value-added products (maize meal, cooking oil and wheat flour), stock feeds and by-products (lucerne, poultry feed and maize stalk bales). Additionally, these projects also produce agronomic and horticultural crops like white maize, wheat, barley, rice, butternut, melons, pumpkin, cabbage, onions, gem squash, sweet potato, potato, spinach, beetroot, tomato, lettuce and green pepper.
Interested bidders are urged to make their submissions on or before 30 November at 11:00.
– [email protected]
News of the plan first broke in March when agriculture, water and land reform minister Calle Schlettwein told investors in Dubai that the Namibian government would issue a request for proposals to lease out the schemes in June.
The Namibia Local Business Association (Naloba) - through its vice-president Peter Amadhila - demanded that the opportunity be offered to Namibians only, adding that there is sufficient capacity in the country.
At the time, Schlettwein maintained that the agriculture sector needs significant investment to achieve much-needed reform - from extensive rain-fed agriculture to intensive irrigation agriculture. This, he said, needs significant investment, technology and skills development, which have to be sourced both locally and internationally.
Last week, agriculture deputy minister Anna Shiweda told a crowd at the opening of the Oshikuku agriculture and training expo that it is now the opportune time for the private sector to step in and meet government halfway to make existing projects more productive and to establish new ones to enable the country to achieve its set target of 27 000 hectares being used for production purposes.
Advertised
Meanwhile, adverts have been rolled out for the leasing of the Uvungu Vungu green scheme irrigation project, the Ndonga Linena green scheme irrigation project and the Orange River irrigation project. The Uvungu project has two components - milk production and green scheme/irrigation. Other projects are the Katima-Liselo green scheme in the Zambezi Region and the Neckartal Dam and Tandjieskoppe green schemes in //Karas.
The projects located in the southern parts of the country - Hardap and Orange River - produce stock feed and horticultural crops like dates, table grapes, watermelon, tomato, sweet potato, beetroot, carrots, butternut, gem squash, lettuce, sweet melon, pumpkin, broccoli and lucerne, while those located in the Kavango, Omusati and Zambezi regions produce value-added products (maize meal, cooking oil and wheat flour), stock feeds and by-products (lucerne, poultry feed and maize stalk bales). Additionally, these projects also produce agronomic and horticultural crops like white maize, wheat, barley, rice, butternut, melons, pumpkin, cabbage, onions, gem squash, sweet potato, potato, spinach, beetroot, tomato, lettuce and green pepper.
Interested bidders are urged to make their submissions on or before 30 November at 11:00.
– [email protected]
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article