Divundu youngsters benefiting from Namibia Berries

By Eba Kandovazu
DIVUNDU, 04 NOV (NAMPA) - Namibia Berries, a project facilitated by the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB), has empowered 60 young people from Divundu, by offering them basic horticulture training and subsequently employing them.
An initiative of Loxworth Capital, Namibia Berries is situated at Divundu in the Kavango East Region and was developed as part of the broader effort to diversify Namibia’s agricultural exports and tap into the growing global demand for blueberries. With a planned investment of N.dollars 1.5 billion over seven years, the project covers 250 hectares of farmland, with future expansion plans targeting over 500 hectares. It was launched in 2021.
In November 2023, a group of four young women from Divundu were sent to Waterson Berries in Cape Town, South Africa, for blueberry training, amongst other focusing on quality control in orchards.
One of the beneficiaries, 25-year-old Leocadia Dikutji, told Nampa in an interview she was particularly interested in the cold room. Now, with her skills training, Dikutji is employed in the Namibia Berries cold room, an area she said she excels in.
“This project has been a blessing to me and my family. With no formal training and only a senior secondary school certificate, I am now employed, I am able to support my family and on top of that, I now have my own garden at home,” Dikutji said.
Another beneficiary, 32-year-old Richildis Ntoma, said to Nampa the three-day training course they attended in South Africa equipped them with the necessary skills to handle blueberries. She also added that they transfer the skills to other employees on a daily basis.
Namibia Berries Chief Executive Officer, Michael Rodenburg said during a recent media tour that the company’s agricultural skills training is also aimed at securing food sustainability as it enables staff to cultivate their own crops and and produce food for their communities.
Wilfred Singogo, a horticulture specialist and trainer, told Nampa that so far, 30 students have graduated from the centre, of which two have successfully cultivated their own gardens. All of them, he stressed, have secured employment at Namibia Berries, while 30 more students are in training.
“We have gathered that students at the centre are eager to start their own gardening, but they face challenges such as a lack of water and seeds to start off. As a company we are looking into solving this issue,” Rodenburg said.
In August 2024, Namibia Berries successfully completed its first harvest, exporting premium blueberries to Hong Kong, Munich, and Dubai.
According to NIPDB spokesperson Catherine Shipushu, such exports position Namibia Berries to further expand its market presence, with demand growing for early-season blueberries in Europe and Asia.
“Namibia Berries has quickly become a key player in Namibia’s agricultural export sector and is poised to significantly boost the country’s foreign exchange earnings,” Shipushu said.
(NAMPA)
EB/AS