LUDERITZ: Plans to establish a full dairy farm at Luderitz are at an advanced stage, with the first phase of the farm’s establishment set to commence mid-October this year.
The project, a joint venture between the Institute for Management and Leadership Training (IMLT) and the Karas Regional Council (KRC), was officially launched at the Luderitz Constituency office on Tuesday.
The IMLT will contribute N.dollars 380 000 towards the project, while the KRC is contributing N.dollars 160 000. It is hoped that through the production of milk, a number of jobs will be created for residents of the town.
Jan van Harmelen, a consultant at IMLT, said in a telephonic interview on Thursday that the first phase will involve trials for the cultivation of different crops to be used as fodder to feed the cows.
The second phase will involve a trial, which will see a few cows fed and milked to see how much milk the cows produce.
Van Harmelen says the target is to produce 8 000 litres of milk per day, using 100 cows.
It is predicted that each trial will take a whole year. After completion of the second phase, the full establishment of the dairy farm will commence.
KRC chairperson and Luderitz Constituency Councillor Jan Scholtz told Nampa that if the project succeeds, the price of milk in the town will in all probability be reduced by 30 to 40 per cent.
He explained that the dairy farm will employ 15 people on a full-time basis, while a further 20 to 30 people will be employed as seasonal workers, two to three times per year for periods of up to one month.
“Whatever addresses unemployment, poverty and associated social problems is welcome, as long as it does not negatively impact the environment and cause health hazards,” noted Scholtz.
The councillor further stated that the community must ensure that this project receives the necessary support and commitment for it to be a success.
“I appeal to the Luderitz community to guard against tribalism, as it has the power to destroy nations. There are so many testimonies to that effect in Africa. Therefore, let us unite and avoid this evil by all means,” the politician charged.
He said agriculture ‘is the backbone of many economies in the world’, adding that Namibia is no exception, hence this initiative is considered a starting point in producing agricultural products for consumption locally and to areas outside the southern coastal town Luderitz.