Africa-Press – Namibia. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform says the government is busy with the feasibility study to set up a sugar plantation on part of the Kalimbeza Rice Project and the sugar processing plant at Katima Mulilo in the Zambezi region.
Ministry spokesperson Simon Nghipandulwa told The Namibian this week that he does not know how long the feasibility study will take.
“The issue of the sugar plantation plant and the processing plants is we are still busy conducting the feasibility study,” said Nghipandulwa.
During Namibia’s independence celebration held at Katima Mulilo last year, former president Nangolo Mbumba announced that the government made a budget allocation of N$8 million to revive the Kalimbeza Rice Project and has further approved plans to set up a sugar plantation as well as a sugar processing plant at Katima Mulilo.
This, he said, are but a few of the projects going on to bring much-needed development and jobs to the Zambezi region.
Activities at the Kalimbeza Rice Project came to a halt a few years ago, affer Agribusdev – which was entrusted to run the government green scheme – was dissolved by the agriculture ministry due to mismanagement.
Prior to that, the government spent about N$50 million on equipment and other necessities on the farm.
Meanwhile, Kalimbeza Rice Project manager Patrick Kompeli says as part of the N$8 million allocated to the project by the government, they planted a total 38 hectares of rice, of which 30 hectares was for irriga rice while 8 hectares was for supa rice. He says 77 tonnes of irriga rice were harvested while about 24 tonnes of supa rice were harvested.
He says their aim is to produce more rice to stop the importation of rice from South Africa into Namibia and the N$8 million will be used in expanding the land for rice cultivation.
Kompeli says at the moment, there is a feasibility study being done for expanding the land. This, he says, includes the topopraphic land survey and design, how to level the fields and the upgrading of the pump station.
“Once it is completed, the consultant will submit a report with the findings and recommendations around August this year,” he says.
He adds that the N$8 million does not include the setting up of a sugar plantation on the part of the rice farm and the establishment of a sugar processing plant at Katima Mulilo.
However, he says he is aware that there is a team doing a feasibility studies towards the establishment of these planned plants.
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