STAFF WRITER
Parliamentary Standing Committee on Natural Resources Chairperson Tobie Aupindi has described the state of affairs at the Kalimbeza Rice Project as ‘appalling’.
This comes after the ongoing visit to the Zambezi, Kavango East, and Kavango West regions has opened a pandora’s box exposing the poor state of affairs for the Kalimbezi Rice project.
The project is touted as one of the key projects to stimulate agriculture production for the future.
“We are under pressure to create jobs but we are just creating the disasters that are contributing to the problem. I am passionate about this project because my hero was passionate about this project. If Sam Nujoma was here his heart would bleed after seeing what his Kalimbeza Rice project has become,” Aupindi said.
A Farm Manager at Kalimbeza Rice Project Patrick Kompeli told the Parliamentary committee that all was not well with the green scheme project.
He said the warehouse used to store the harvested rice is not conducive for storing food and is exposed to rodents and lizards, while the temperature settings are not relevant for rice production.
“Maybe the people who designed it (the warehouse) , it is not really for rice because it allows even the lizards and rodents to go in so it’s not conducive for storing rice. Even if we sign a contract today with Shoprite, they will not approve our rice because the warehouse where it is needs to be renovated to a certain standard.
“The other issue is that even if we proceed and restore it there it is room temperature and once we process it it will go bad.Rice requires a place that is not cold like in shops. There is a lot of dust. I think we need to consider building a new warehouse,” he said.
Kompeli said the facility is not insect proof and makes it difficult for bigger retail shops in the country to buy the final product.
The Committee who are visiting the Zambezi, Kavango East, and Kavango West regions from 11-15 August 2025 to visit
various conservancies and green schemes.
The visit will focus on assessing the effectiveness, sustainability, and impact of conservancies, green schemes and agricultural projects in the regions.
Speaking at the debriefing Independent Patriots for Change and Leader of the Official Opposition in Parliament Imms Nashinge expressed dismay at the issues affecting one of the country’s target food production farms.
He said the concerns raised by the farm manager are of a recurrent nature and shows the failure by the government to find a lasting solution to the challenge.
“I am sure these problems are not new. You have raised your issues over and over and clearly there was no action taken to address the problem and now this product is supposed to be as far as Keetmanshoop, Walvis Bay and Omuthiya. Now I understand why we do not get Kalimbeza rice in Windhoek.We need to help each other and this is really not your problem.
“The government cannot be selfish and keep this project to itself when it is very visible that where the government has been involved the results were bad,” Nashinge said.
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