Middle Eastern date palms destined for Naute plantation

A FIRST consignment of 10 000 date palms from the United Arab Emirates arrived at the Hosea Kutako international airport yesterday.

The trees, one and a half years old, will be transported to the Naute Dam area for a joint venture between Al-Dhahara and the NDC agricultural project.In February next year the next consignment of 10 000 date palms will arrive. Eight different date varieties will be planted in September and the first harvest will be in five years. The plants will then bear fruit for the next 50 to 70 years. The dates will be produced for the international and national markets. Once ready for harvesting, it is estimated that a net profit of N$50 000 per year can be made from one hectare of trees. This makes dates much more profitable than table grapes. Once in full operation the project will employ 180 permanent workers and about 1 150 seasonal labourers. This project is a joint venture between the United Arab Emirates and the Namibia Development Corporation (NDC), where the Namibian Government makes the land available and the Emirates will finance the project and provide the expertise, technical administration and maintenance. Over the next five years the investment will total N$104 million.