Pineapple farming kicks off in Kavango

NEARLY three years of intensive research on a farm near Bagani has shown that large-scale pineapple farming and a canning factory are feasible for Namibia.

The project is the brainchild of Philip de Wet and his business partner, Israel Jona, who investigated the possibilities of diversifying agriculture in the Kavango Region. Namibia does not have an ideal climate for many crops and the three that came to mind were pineapples, bananas and table grapes.Table grapes are already being farmed in the south and bananas cannot be canned, so the most logical crop to concentrate on was the pineapple.Other factor in favour of pineapple is that it is one of very few crops that can be planted, and harvested, throughout the year.This would mean no off-season for workers and a constant cash flow within a short period after the first planting.De Wet did research into the weather patterns of the Kavango over the last 100 years, as the pineapple is sensitive to temperatures below freezing.The plant also likes sandy soil with excellent drainage.All these requirements pointed to the area between Rundu and Divundu as the ideal place for cultivating pineapples in Namibia.Towards the end of 2003, De Wet visited the pineapple research station at Bathurst in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, and also the canning factories in East London.With all the information he had gathered during his two-week stay there, he drafted a feasibility study and a business plan.”The primary aim of this project is to give jobs to Namibians,” says De Wet.To further prove that pineapples will grow successfully in the Kavango Region, De Wet obtained 1 000 plants form Bathurst and planted them with the blessing of the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry’s at Bagani Gardens.The plants, which are of the Smooth Leaf Cayenne species which is used for canning, were planted in 2004 and monitored closely over the next two years.In December 2006 the first crop of about 1 000 pineapples was harvested.Brendan Matomola is the researcher at Bangani Gardens who, together with De Wet, collected information on the plants’ growth rate and reaction to different fertilisers and irrigation applications.These first trials were a huge success.The idea is to establish three commercial farms under irrigation in the Kavango Region.These farms would provide 140 jobs, of which more than half will be for women.An important objective of the project is to train local subsistence farmers in all aspects of pineapple production.The training will be executed in cycles, with 70 annual newcomers who will receive two years of training.In this way, the three commercial farms will help develop more small-scale farmers, most of whom will be women.Once they have finished their training and are back on their own farms, they can grow a variety of crops and the factory will provide a market for all of them.Even the smallest canning factory would need between 20 000 and 23 000 tons of pineapples a year to be viable and thus the research went a step further into tomato production, which is a more seasonal crop and thus ensures better cash flow.The factory is expected to receive 21 000 tons of pineapples a year during the start-up years of the commercial farms.It will have a cannery and a juicing division, with the products mainly being exported to Europe.Pineapples and tomatoes from the three commercial farms will ensure the sustainability of the factory and produce received from small-scale farmers will add to its profitability and growth.The first pineapple plants will be planted this year and the factory will be built next year, as the plants take two years to yield their first fruit.Namibia does not have an ideal climate for many crops and the three that came to mind were pineapples, bananas and table grapes.Table grapes are already being farmed in the south and bananas cannot be canned, so the most logical crop to concentrate on was the pineapple.Other factor in favour of pineapple is that it is one of very few crops that can be planted, and harvested, throughout the year.This would mean no off-season for workers and a constant cash flow within a short period after the first planting.De Wet did research into the weather patterns of the Kavango over the last 100 years, as the pineapple is sensitive to temperatures below freezing.The plant also likes sandy soil with excellent drainage.All these requirements pointed to the area between Rundu and Divundu as the ideal place for cultivating pineapples in Namibia.Towards the end of 2003, De Wet visited the pineapple research station at Bathurst in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, and also the canning factories in East London.With all the information he had gathered during his two-week stay there, he drafted a feasibility study and a business plan.”The primary aim of this project is to give jobs to Namibians,” says De Wet.To further prove that pineapples will grow successfully in the Kavango Region, De Wet obtained 1 000 plants form Bathurst and planted them with the blessing of the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry’s at Bagani Gardens.The plants, which are of the Smooth Leaf Cayenne species which is used for canning, were planted in 2004 and monitored closely over the next two years.In December 2006 the first crop of about 1 000 pineapples was harvested.Brendan Matomola is the researcher at Bangani Gardens who, together with De Wet, collected information on the plants’ growth rate and reaction to different fertilisers and irrigation applications.These first trials were a huge success.The idea is to establish three commercial farms under irrigation in the Kavango Region.These farms would provide 140 jobs, of which more than half will be for women.An important objective of the project is to train local subsistence farmers in all aspects of pineapple production.The training will be executed in cycles, with 70 annual newcomers who will receive two years of training.In this way, the three commercial farms will help develop more small-scale farmers, most of whom will be women.Once they have finished their training and are back on their own farms, they can grow a variety of crops and the factory will provide a market for all of them.Even the smallest canning factory would need between 20 000 and 23 000 tons of pineapples a year to be viable and thus the research went a step further into tomato production, which is a more seasonal crop and thus ensures better cash flow.The factory is expected to receive 21 000 tons of pineapples a year during the start-up years of the commercial farms.It will have a cannery and a juicing division, with the products mainly being exported to Europe.Pineapples and tomatoes from the three commercial farms will ensure the sustainability of the factory and produce received from small-scale farmers will add to its profitability and growth.The first pineapple plants will be planted this year and the factory will be built next year, as the plants take two years to yield their first fruit.