Home grown barley reaps good harvest

The home-grown barley project brought to life by Namibia Breweries Limited (NBL) in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Water & Forestry (MAWF) has harvested 1426 tons of barley while 1250 tons were of good quality in 2016.

According to the 2016 Barley Harvest Report presented by the O&L Senior Manager of Business Improvement & NBL Project Manager, Martin Krafft, the partnership also involved the government’s Agricultural Business Development Agency (AgriBusDev) six years ago, celebrated the success earlier this week.

“Six years ago, we were faced with a unique challenge. Our empowerment partner, EPIA, asked us ‘How can NBL add further value to the country, creating more jobs and contributing further to the growth of the economy?,” said NBL Managing Director, Wessie van der Westhuizen.

“Together with the MAWF and AgriBusDev – are proud of our efforts of establishing a barley industry for the good of Namibia,” he added.

According to Van der Westhuizen, NBL during 2016 alone, invested N$6.5 million in the barley project, following extensive trials which commenced already in 2010.

Apart from creating more value locally, Van der Westhuizen said NBL also aims to establish a sustainable barley industry in ten years from now.

During his keynote address, Mutorwa emphasized on the importance of Public Private Partnership, and stressed the home-grown barley project as a perfect example of what can come from PPPs.

“This event is a concrete and visible demonstration of Public Private Partnership,” he said, bringing attention to the importance of partnerships between government institutions, the private sector, community based organizations and the myriad of other organisations.

Van der Westhuizen further added that NBL is well on its way to making history, leading the way in breakthrough thinking, and that ultimately the goal is to secure NBL’s source of supply, and at the same time, reduce reliance on importing raw materials from elsewhere in the world.