300 tonnes of potatoes harvested at Sikondo Green Scheme in January

The Sikondo Green Scheme in the Kavango West region successfully harvested 300 tonnes of potatoes in January, farm manager Maxwell Nghidinwa says.

During a recent tour of the farm with Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform officials, Nghidinwa told Nampa the farm’s total potato harvest reached 300 tonnes in January.

“We received our potato seeds from South Africa, and we are busy treating them. We want to start planting the second cycle of about 10 to 13 hectares of potatoes,” he said.

Nghidinwa said 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 locally to supply the local market with affordable prices for the end user.

Nghidinwa said the green scheme has a competitive advantage as the ministry 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, while the third cycle will be planted in July and harvested in December.

In addition to potatoes, the farm is scheduled to harvest 120ha of maize in May and also plant wheat in May, with the wheat harvest anticipated in October.

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

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

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