New Dairy Farm in the Offing

Albertina Nakale

14 July 2011

Rundu — The Uvhungu Vungu Irrigation Project outside Rundu is set to de-bush a 280-hectare plot for the construction of a dairy plant.

The project, to be implemented over a three-year period, will have 750 milking cows that will produce fresh and long life milk and other products.

Uvhungu Vungu has been involved in milk production from 2009 but its cattle were relocated to Mashare due to poor infrastructure at the farm.

Instead of re-vamping the old plant, the government has decided to build a new dairy. The plant will cost N$180 million.

Uvhungu Vungu covers 825 hectares and is located 10 km from Rundu in the Kavango region.

Manager Linus Tashia on Tuesday said after de-bushing the area to erect dairy infrastructure, they will also put an irrigation system for the production of feed for the milk cows.

The cows will be bought from South Africa.

“Initial plan was to have 2000 cows under milk production. But we will not bring all the 2000 at once. We will start small until we reach 2000 cows,” Tashia explained.

The milk and cheese to be produced will be distributed to local schools.

As production increases, Tashia said, the farm would supply milk countrywide and possibly Angola.

A N$2.8 million de-bushing tender has been awarded to Namibia Investment Contract.

During a visit, this reporter found men and women at work as well as the contractor.

“We have been here for 11 days now. We are going to clear 280 ha of land. We will take a month and two weeks to clear the land,” said the Owner of Namibia Investment Contract, Joseph Hungamo.

He promised that his team would meet the deadline with good cooperation from the community. Hungamo said he has been in the de-bushing industry for long with his men and women in the blue overalls.

He said 98 percent of people working on the project are locals.

He employs 314 people of whom 60 percent are men and 40 percent women.

Hungamo offers his employees lunch as an incentive to work hard as people work harder when they are nutritionally contented.

Apart from a dairy development, Uvhungu Vungu also produces maize andwheat on a large scale and a bit of mahangu seed on dry land.

They are also now venturing into horticulture.

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