Farmers asked to diversify to asparagus, mushrooms

This was said by the World Bank Group and the International Finance Corporation in their recent country private sector diagnostic report, which has identified several growth opportunities for the country.

Launched last week, the two global financiers said diversification into new horticulture products was necessary, but needed some preconditions.

It would be “dependent on agriculture research, climate-smart adaptation, the necessary input supply chains, and training of producers”.

According to the report, given Namibia”;s rough climate environment, asparagus, mushrooms, and indigenous green leafy vegetables would be good high-yield products, with much readily available markets to absorb these.

“Asparagus adapts to arid climates and salinised soil conditions, while mushroom production has minimum water requirements and provides opportunities for smallholder producers with moderate initial investments,” the financiers said.

According to the report, there are potential local and foreign markets, including Morocco, Niger, Norway, South Africa, Spain, and Tunisia, for several types of fruit (including indigenous types) and niche vegetables.

Other than these, the financiers said there was still much room for investment into expanding production in blueberries and grapes.

In 2020, Namibia began exporting blueberries to Germany, Hong Kong special administrative region, China, the Netherlands, the Russian Federation, and Spain, with a share sold domestically.

In the first year of production, more than 450 rural women were employed in the Zambezi region, and over 100 tonnes of berries were produced.

“Given the increasing global demand for blueberries, particularly from the European market, there are opportunities to attract new investments,” said the financiers.

Regarding grapes, the report states that Namibia has one key competitive advantage – the harvest window.

“Namibian grapes ripen and are ready for harvest during a three-week window when there is no supply of grapes in Europe. That is why every major South African grape producer also has an operation in the Aussenkehr valley,” reads the report.

While small-scale farmers don”;t always get the necessary offtakers, the financiers said there were still avenues to improve the performance of the Agro-Marketing and Trade Agency in supporting smallholder producers.

Other recommendations include establishing a window/envelope under the newly launched credit-guarantee scheme for agribusiness, strengthening availability of reliable data on smallholder farmers, and supporting the entry of fintech/agtech players to provide new financial products.

Email: lazarus@namibian.com.na

Twitter: @Lasarus_A

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